The Kilmuir and Logie East Action Group (KALE) - Ground Source Heating & Evacuated Tube Solar System

The Kilmuir and Logie Action Group (KALE) from the heart of  Milton, Rosshire in North Highland are now seeing the fruits of years of hard work and dedication come true with the construction of their new purpose built community centre well under way. 

The centre is to be heated by a 26.6kW Ground Source Heat Pump (with 4 boreholes at 137m deep) linked to under floor heating and will also utilise a state of the art evacuated tube solar system to provide hot water for the building.  The building will feature a large energy display which will inform users and visitors alike of the real-time energy production of the heat pump and solar panels along with the cumulative CO₂ emissions they will have saved by choosing to power their building using a renewable energy system.

The building will also be super insulated which helps the performance of any ground source heating system. The group has chosen eco- insulation made from recycled glass bottles.  

The group have also chosen to install sun pipes (see picture on the right ) which harness the natural sunlight and reflect it inside the building. This will minimise the amount of artificial lighting required in the building.

The group were successful in applying for the Scottish Governments CARES fund, administered by Community Energy Scotland, to contribute to the capital costs of this renewable energy system and energy efficiency measures. The building has also been funded by the SRDP programme and Big Lottery, Growing Community Assets Programme.