The Lodge on the Loch of Aboyne is the first private business on Deeside to be awarded a Scottish Rural Development Priorities (SRDP) grant towards the costs of installing and replacing an existing oil-fired boiler with a 50Kw Austrian Herz woodchip boiler.

Owner Derek McCulloch said: "The installation of the woodchip boiler forms part of our commitment to green tourism. It will service all our central heating and hot water requirements using carbon neutral woodchips, which we can source locally from sustainable forestry operations. More importantly, it will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint by 48%, which is equivalent to a saving of 45 tons of CO2 per annum.

"Green issues are playing an increasingly significant role in consumer choice among tourism businesses, so we hope that our strong eco-credentials will encourage more visitors to come and have a break with us at The Lodge on the Loch and enjoy all that we and the Royal Deeside area have to offer."

The Lodge on the Loch received a £17,000 grant from the SRDP for the boiler, which was installed at a cost of £40,000.

Ian Cowe, biomass development officer for Forestry Commission Scotland added: "Biomass heat and power is a powerful environmental credential for businesses to have and this development at The Lodge on the Loch is an excellent example of how wood fuel can be used to provide heating and hot water solutions to reduce ongoing energy costs."