When Andy and Carol Duff purchased the former St David’s Church in Lower Largo, they saw an opportunity to give an important local building a new future. Their vision was to create a busy events venue that would restore the site and bring it back into regular use at the heart of the local community.
The couple had already transformed a nearby church into The Aurrie, a popular café. This latest project, The Aurrie Mor, was a bigger undertaking and would create a venue that could host concerts, comedy nights, weddings, retreats, meetings and community activities.
Giving the building a new lease of life did not come without challenges. Its sandstone construction, high ceilings, antiquated electric bar heaters and lack of a gas supply meant finding a suitable heating solution would be an important part of the redevelopment. Andy and Carol also wanted to ensure the venue could provide a warm and welcoming space all year round without breaking the bank on energy bills.
Looking for advice on heating and energy-saving improvements, Andy and Carol contacted Business Energy Scotland for free and impartial support.
“We knew heating the building would be one of the biggest challenges to ensure the venue could operate all year-round. The support from Business Energy Scotland helped us understand the options available and choose the measures that suited both the building and the way we plan to use it. As the venue continues to develop, we’ll continue to implement other recommendations to improve its energy performance.”
Following an initial consultation with one of our Business Energy Advisors, Business Energy Scotland carried out an assessment of the building. As a large former church, heating the space efficiently was a key consideration. Warm air naturally rises and can collect near roof level, making large buildings more difficult to heat effectively.
Nonetheless, we identified several opportunities to improve comfort and reduce energy use. Our recommendations included installing loft insulation, secondary glazing, an air source heat pump and destratification fans. The assessment also considered infrared radiant heating as an alternative option to the heat pump.
Acting on our advice and with the financial support of the Scottish Government’s SME Loan Scheme, The Aurrie Mor installed infrared radiant heaters and destratification fans. These measures were chosen because they best suited the venue’s usage patterns and budget. The lower installation costs of infrared heating, combined with the venue’s relatively low winter usage, large internal space and limited outdoor space for a heat pump installation, made it the most suitable option for the building.
Andy and Carol have also been pleased with the performance of the destratification fan. By recirculating warm air throughout the building, it is helping tackle damp issues during the winter months while remaining inexpensive to run.
The project shows how older buildings can benefit from energy-saving improvements tailored to the way they are used. As The Aurrie Mor continues to develop as an events and community venue, Andy and Carol are keen to explore additional energy-saving measures, including loft insulation, once other redevelopment work is complete.
Andy Duff summarised:
“We knew heating the building would be one of the biggest challenges to ensure the venue could operate all year-round. The support from Business Energy Scotland helped us understand the options available and choose the measures that suited both the building and the way we plan to use it. As the venue continues to develop, we’ll continue to implement other recommendations to improve its energy performance.”
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