AN HISTORIC country estate is entering the green technology industry by providing fuel for biomass heating.

The 7,000-acre Barningham Park Estate in North Yorkshire has set up a commercial operation to supply wood chip biomass boilers in the region.

It comes after the estate cut its oil bills by 50 per cent through converting the heating system in its main house and office buildings to biomass technology.

Biomass is the broad definition given to plant matter grown to generate electricity and the estate uses wood from its land to provide its fuel needs.

Ed Milbank, who manages the family estate near Richmond, said: The estate's woodland has now become a big asset for us, especially as oil prices are forecast to continue rising and demand for timber is growing.

"We are now felling old, thin conifer blocks and re-planting and this year we have planted a further 70 acres of mixed woodland.

"It is our aim to build up a business over the next 20-25 years that will provide the estate with its generation needs and also give us a strong source of revenue.

Managing an estate like Barningham is all about looking for ways to diversify and to bring on new revenue streams.

The estate has been in the family for generations and our mission is to ensure that it is here for the generations to come. Projects like this are part of that work.

The diversification into supplying wood for biomass comes after the success of the estates own move to the technology.

Mr Milbank said: Our woodfuel boiler, which we have had since 2009, means we can supply our heating needs from the 300 acres of estate woodland we have here.

We were really ahead of the game and one of the first to see the potential of biomass.

Given the escalating price of oil, it really has been a good move for us.

It represented a 60,000 investment for us with a 10-year payback and we have seen our 12,000 oil bill reduced to around 6,000."

"The savings we are making on the estate really underlines the potential that exists for biomass generation."

In December the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which advises ministers on meeting climate targets, gave biomass a boost when it said ten per cent of the UK's total energy should come from biological sources by 2050, compared with two per cent today.

The estate is hosting a biomass technology open day, in partnership with biomass firm Rural Energy, next Thursday to inform more people about its benefits and potential.

For details of the open day contact charlie.guthrie@myriadceg.com