Press Releases

In 2024, Museum Wales secured over £1 million worth of grant funding through the Welsh Government Energy Service’s Public Sector Low Carbon Heat Grant. 

This will transform the way four of Museum Wales’ seven sites are heated, through the installation of air source heat pumps (ASHP), saving a total of nearly 50 tCO₂e a year.

Sites participating in the heating retrofit are St Fagans National Museum of History, the National Slate Museum, the National Wool Museum and the Big Pit National Coal Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Work is underway at St Fagans, where a total of five natural gas fired boilers, all at least eight years old, are being replaced with ASHPs. The upgrades are taking place at the main building, as well as at Ysgubor Fawr, Oakdale and Gweithdy buildings and works are nearing completion.

The National Slate Museum, in Llanberis, is replacing a 10-year-old oil-fired boiler and the Big Pit National Coal Museum, in Blaenafon, is replacing a 12-year-old natural gas fired boiler with new ASHPs. The National Wool Museum: Drefach Felindre is also replacing two of their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fired boilers for ASHP systems. 

Welsh Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies said: “It’s fantastic to see our museums progressing their journey to reducing emissions all with the help of Welsh Government funding. This means we can continue to protect our heritage while embracing new technology.” 

All four sites have had Building Management System upgrades to improve the control of the new heating systems, with sites installing added insulation where possible to reduce heat loss and further improve the efficiency of the ASHPs.

Phil Bushby, Director of Priority Programmes at Amgueddfa Cymru said

“Amgueddfa Cymru is delighted to have received the Low Carbon Heat Grant of just over £1m from the Welsh Government Energy Service.  This grant will help the Museum install infrastructure that reduces our overall reliance on natural gas at some of our main sites.  In addition, this will also completely remove our use of oil at Llanberis and bulk LPG at Drefach. It’s an excellent start but we recognise there is always more work to be done.”

Museum Wales will eliminate deliveries of oil and LPG to its more remote sites, such as The National Wool Museum, with greater energy security being another benefit of making the switch to ASHPs.

“We are delighted to have received this grant which will make a huge difference to the museum as we continue our reduction in carbon emissions.  This type of progress is only possible through the support of schemes such as the Low Carbon Heat Grant and we are extremely grateful for the support. I would highly recommend other public sector organisations to apply to the second round of funding.” 

Previous rounds of similar low carbon heat funding have demonstrated significant impacts for a range of organisations including schools, fire and rescue services, local authorities and healthcare organisations in the public sector. 

“It’s fantastic to see Museum Wales engaging with the Energy Service for the low carbon heat grant. Tackling fossil fuel emissions for heat is perhaps the biggest challenge for net zero on the Welsh public estate. By progressing these projects, Museum Wales is demonstrating that they are willing to future proof its operations and support net zero goals for Wales.”

David Powlesland, Head of Welsh Government Energy Delivery, Carbon Trust.

The Welsh Government Energy Service is pleased to announce that the second round of the Public Sector Low Carbon Heat Grant is currently open. This offers another valuable opportunity for public sector organisations, such as Museum Wales, to gain funding to assist with capital works aimed at retrofitting low carbon heat solutions.

The goal is to significantly reduce carbon emissions and accelerate Wales' transition to Net Zero. 

The application window is open until 20th March 2025. Eligible projects must be investment-ready and completed by 31st March 2026.

For more details and to apply, visit: Public sector low carbon heat grant: guidance [HTML] | GOV.WALES

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information and images please contact:

Kat Taylor, Client Communications Executive, Welsh Government Energy Service 

kat.taylor@energyservice.wales

The Energy Service works with the public sector and community enterprises to:

• reduce energy use
• generate locally owned, renewable energy
• reduce carbon emissions

The Energy Service offers technical, commercial and procurement advice and support to help turn energy projects into reality.

The Energy Service works on:

• regional energy planning
• energy efficiency 
• renewable energy
• ultra-low emission or electric vehicles

https://www.gov.wales/energy-service-public-sector-and-community-groups

Carwyn Evans, Communications Officer, Museum Wales

029 2057 3460

Carwyn.evans@museumwales.ac.uk

Amgueddfa Cymru belongs to everyone and is here for everyone to use. 

We’re a charity and a family of seven national museums and a collections centre, located across the country. Our aim is to inspire everyone through Wales’ story, at our museums, in communities and digitally. 

Our welcome is free thanks to funding from the Welsh Government and extends to people from all communities.

Follow Amgueddfa Cymru’s seven museums on X, Instagram, or Facebook. Play your part in Wales’ story: by visiting, volunteering, by joining, by donating. www.museum.wales 

This funding opportunity is available to all public sector organizations, excluding local authorities and higher education bodies (further education bodies may apply), and supports a whole-building approach to low carbon heat implementation.