Fuel hike forces National Trust to adopt radical planBy Edd McCracken, Arts Correspondent
THE National Trust For Scotland, the nation's largest conservation charity, wants to install solar panels and other renewable energy sources in some of the country's most historic buildings.
With its energy bills hovering at 8% of its outgoings - 2% off the fuel poverty mark - the NTS said it is being forced to look at less traditional power sources.
The trust's annual review for 2007-2008 revealed it is in deficit, with chiefs blaming the rising cost of fuel and building materials and the credit crunch wiping £12 million off their funds.
NTS's conservation head said installing alternative energy sources will be a "big, big" topic over the next few years.
"Every pound we save on fuel we can spend on conservation, which is a pound better spent in my view," said Andrew Bachell. "This is a chance for us to demonstrate that old buildings can be energy efficient and lead by example. But we're at very early days with this at the moment."
When asked if putting solar panels on the roofs of their historic buildings - which include Robert Adam's Culzean Castle or Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House - was under consideration, he said: "We might, but only with the full consensus of the local authorities and Historic Scotland and in a way that doesn't detract from its status."
He added: "A lot of the grand buildings have back roofs that nobody sees and I think the conservation world is learning to live with these changes."
The Trust's recent new-build projects use green energy sources. The visitor centres at Culloden and Glencoe use wood-chip burners for heat, as will the planned Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway.
NTS chairwoman Shonaig Macpherson said their job was not just to preserve properties, but to make them fit for the 21st century.
"One of the founders of the trust likened the National Trust For Scotland to a cabinet you put precious things in to keep them safe," she said. "That's OK, but to me that's locking them away, and people don't engage with them. That's not what conservation is about. Conservation is about making these places relevant to today's generations."
Environmental group Friends of the Earth welcomed NTS's ambitions, if they were carried out "appropriately and sympathetically". "Even in older buildings there is a wide range of options available which can slash energy required," said spokesman Owen Davis.
Labour MSP Malcolm Chisholm, who has campaigned for a relaxation of planning restrictions for historic buildings, congratulated NTS for setting an example and called on Historic Scotland to loosen its criteria for allowing solar panels on older buildings.
"Historic Scotland need to be more flexible," he said. "It is for the greater good of the environment. The National Trust for Scotland might want to be a leader in that respect, so what it is doing is very welcome, and hopefully Historic Scotland will respond positively."
A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: "We are happy to support proposals by owners to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of historic buildings where these protect the building's character." She added that applications for solar panels on historic buildings were assessed like any others referred to them by local authorities.
Last year, financial losses and falling visitor numbers saw the NTS lay off 19 staff to make £3m in cuts over three years. Despite still being in deficit in the last financial year, membership grew 13%. The 306,000 memberships brought in £9.5m, while visitor numbers to its 128 sites increased for the first time in six years, rising to nearly 1.3m.
Finance director Lesley Watt described the situation as "cautiously optimistic", with NTS on target to make its savings. However, it will not be able to buy new properties for the next two years at least.
