To provide heating and hot running water to the hotel building complex and cottages, and provide same to spa area which also houses a guest swimming pool and leisure centre.

Hotel with 56 bedrooms, a row of 4 Boutique Cottages, with adjacent swimming pool housed in separate building, standing in 20 acres in Northumberland.

The hotel was using LPG, oil and electricity to meet the heat, hot water and power needs of the site. Older style less efficient LPG boilers were being used to heat the hotel, provide hot running water for the hotel rooms, and kitchens, the swimming pool and leisure centre was oil heated, and the 4 cottages were all electric for both heating and hot water.

The need to update the boilers due to age and condition along with the mix of fuels being used, provided an opportunity to explore renewable energy sources and to rationalise the energy provision for the site.

The project team undertook a full site survey, mapping the different heating systems at the site, the number and output of radiators installed and identified any need for potential additions.

Information was collated in respect of hot water usage and daily peaks in demand for both the hotel building occupied by guests and the kitchens, along with general usage by the staff. Added into the equation was the heat required to effectively keep at a constant XX degrees C. The swimming pool being located in a separate purpose-built facility some 50 meters from the main building.

The team then analysed the annual costs of the various fuels being used to provide a basis for budget and comparison against renewable alternatives.

The project team prepared a design that considered all the seasonal variables, rises and reductions in heating and hot water demands and submitted their plans and recommendations.

The renewable solution that the hotel commissioned from us was:

• 2 systems, comprising of a 6 boiler cascaded system delivering 360kw were installed, to provide hot water to heat the hotel system, provide hot running water for the 56 rooms and service facilities and to heat the leisure centre and pool. The systems also provided heating and hot water for the 4 cottages. The Biomass systems run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are fuelled by wood pellets, that are made from either recycled wood sources or are sustainably harvested.
  • The pellet fuel for the Biomass systems is carbon neutral as the wood removes carbon from the atmosphere when growing.
  • The emissions from the Biomass Boilers are extremely low, given the temperature at which the systems operate, which means that any residual smoke is burned prior to the exhaust system.

• The site has reduced its carbon emissions by approximately 50%
• The cost of operating the Biomass systems is £0.06 per kWh
• Payback on the investment in the system is IRO 4.5 years, based on fuel cost savings