Kinniel House
Context
This house contains some of the most important wall paintings in Scotland. Two adjacent rooms show great survivals of 17th Century paintings on plaster.
Issue
The building was using a lot of heating oil and there was concern that the wall paintings were not being adequately protected against fluctuations in relative humidity. There was also concerns over the reliability of the oil fired heating system.
Investigation
A single temperature and relative humidity logger was installed near the wall paintings with data gathered over a 12 month period, divided into quarters. Interim short quarterly reports led up to an end of year report with recommendations.
Action Taken
The existing heating timer and thermostat were disconnected and replaced with a humidistat-thermostat combination (by Hanwell Instruments). This monitors the environment in the vicinity of the wall paintings and sends a wireless signal to the boiler when heating is required. Blackout blinds were also installed to prevent fading of the wall paintings, provide some insulation and to prevent solar thermal gain from causing fluctuations in relative humidity.
Outcome
A very stable environment has been created that benefits the wall paintings, the danger of frost damage has been removed, frequency of visits to adjust the heating have been reduced and fuel use has been very dramatically reduced. In fact, the oil tanker delivery has had to be turned away a few times over the past year as so little heating oil has been used.
