West Cumbria Muncaster Castle aims to be carbon zero
The heir to a 13th Century castle is aiming to power it entirely with renewable energy. Muncaster Castle in Ravenglass in west Cumbria was built as a defence against the Scots and has been home to the Pennington family for 800 years. It is connected to mains gas and electricity but now heat pumps and solar panels meet most of its needs. Ewan Frost-Pennington said the change to greener energy had "transformed the place". In the past they would turn on the gas boiler for an event and turn it off immediately afterwards. But the constant ground source heat was more economical and had "really improved the comfort", Mr Frost-Pennington said. On a sunny day the solar panels provided more power than the castle needed, he added. Mr Frost-Pennington, 32, spent seven years working as a renewable energy consultant in London and California before returning last year to live in the castle with his parents. He now runs Muncaster's tourism operations and hopes to turn the Grade I listed building into the UK's first carbon-free castle. "Like anyone we use energy to go about our daily business - we attract customers from far afield," he said. "We want to be able to only have a positive impact on the environment." To pay for the green energy projects Mr Frost-Pennington is planning new events to attract visitors. But he also stresses the castle's history will be respected and preserved, conscious that it's "always dangerous" to meddle with tradition. "Hopefully I'll do a good job and I can be added to one of the good guys in the history and not relegated to the red list that we have within the castle of the family members that didn't do a good a job," he said. Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk . Muncaster Castle Day celebrating 743rd anniversary of market charter 'gives town a bit of charm' Lucy Letby case compared to Furness General maternity scandal Criminal cash turned into knockout community support LGBTQ+ community invited to hear how they can become foster parents at Pride event Photos show extent of flooding as Environment Agency gives alerts Bowling club offers services for adults with learning disabilities Morocco rescuers dig with bare hands as foreign aid sent US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit 'Everyone in this village is either dead or missing' A Serbian scientist's long quest to name Srebrenica's dead How chronic pain feels for me. Video How chronic pain feels for me Guyana scrambles to make the most of oil wealth The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans. Video The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans Inside a 'hijacked' South African building. Video Inside a 'hijacked' South African building The rise and fall of a parenting influencer Florida's first hurricane-proof town The greatest spy novel ever written? Why is everyone crazy about Aperol? 2023 BBC.