A combination of clever tech and common sense will enable an eco-friendly hotel in North Wales to be “close to off-grid” during the summer months.
As well as achieving a massive reduction in carbon emissions, the energy bills at the historic seafront Llandudno Bay Hotel have been slashed by £90,000 year.
The news was revealed when the second phase of the green revolution at the award-winning hotel – part of the Everbright Group – was unveiled.
As well as saving money, the measures will cut the hotel’s CO2 emissions by 85 per cent leading to an annual reduction of 95 tonnes, when the full system is installed.
At the centre of the second part of the £350,000 investment is a car port with three EV car chargers, including a rapid charger, at the back of the building.
It’s festooned with technology, including the first commercial installation of thermodynamic panels in the UK.
Thermodynamic panels are widely used in other parts of Europe and are similar to air-source heat pumps – but without the downsides of being noisy and long-term maintenance.
They work like refrigerators in reverse, absorbing the radiation from the sun to heat the water and the radiators in the building.
Another key part of the scheme is the use of voltage optimisers to convert the electricity supply from the usual 240 volts to 220 volts which is standard in much of Europe.
The reduced voltage perfectly fine to run any equipment in the hotel but that alone cuts the hotel’s electricity bill by 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, any spare energy is stored in a bank of lithium batteries housed in a steel-lined vault to take advantage of cheaper, night-rate electricity instead of the peak daytime rate.
The positive impact of the ground-breaking measures was outlined during a visit Cllr Nigel Smith, cabinet member for Sustainable Economy at Conwy County Borough Council.
The council helped Everbright secure £100,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help pay for the scheme.
The trailblazing pilot project has been such a big hit that it’s now going to be rolled out to the other hotels in the Everbright Group, including the Belmont and the Queens, in Llandudno, the Wild Pheasant Hotel and Spa in Llangollen and Rossett Hall Hotel, near Wrexham, and the George Hotel and Stonecross Manor in the Lake District.
Darryl Shaw, the Everbright Group Operations Director, said: “The return on investment for the whole system is pretty quick, with the payback within seven years.
“Essentially, we are future-proofing the hotel against further significant spikes in the cost of utility usage and one further added benefit is if there’s ever a power cut in the area, the hotel lights will stay on.
“Between March and September, there will a residual usage of the boilers and we’re going to be pretty close to being off-grid in the summer months when the final PV and thermodynamic panels are in place. We’re on the road to being carbon zero.
“What we’ve done is bring together a host of green technology together into one bespoke system. We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just using the best systems available as tried and tested in Europe.
“Conwy County Borough Council’s contribution to this project was fundamental to its success – not just the financial aspect, welcome though that was, but also to help us communicate the benefits to other businesses because we want to share this knowledge.”
Cllr Nigel Smith said: “What I’ve seen and heard today is absolutely fantastic. The use of technology and green energy efficiency measures is brilliant.
“The savings have also allowed them to invest more in the quality and the fabric of the building itself so it works for everybody, It’s a win-win.
“Going from 240 volts to 220 volts is one of these genius ideas that is so incredibly simple. As well as reducing the energy usage, it also makes appliances last longer so it’s a no-brainer.
“It brings savings to the business but also it brings savings to the environment because we won’t be throwing electronic products away because they’re burnt out.
“I’m delighted that Conwy County Borough Council has played a part in making this project happen.”
Both phases of the project have been masterminded by Sebastian Gudek, managing director of specialist green energy company Aqualogik.
He said: “The whole system has been designed and purpose-built to suit the needs of the business.
“It is the first commercial UK installation of thermodynamic panels of this size and the second will be at Everbright’s Belmont Hotel that’s also in Llandudno.”
Work carried out in the first phase of the project has already garnered a raft of awards for the Llandudno Bay Hotel.
As well as being crowned Sustainable Luxury Hotel Group of the Year, it was also named as the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Hotel of the Year 2023 at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards.
Hotel manager Liam said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved here and that we are leading the way, not just within the Everbright Group but also in the wider hotel industry in the UK.
“It’s been an amazing journey since we opened the hotel in 2022 and we are now reaping the benefits because we are seeing massive savings.
“Our heaviest use of electricity is in the kitchen but it still works perfectly after the installation of the voltage optimiser.
“We’re not just doing this to improve the bottom line, we’re also protecting our staff because the savings mean we can invest more in the people who work here.
“We haven’t cut any hours in January which is traditionally quieter because for every January, there’s a July, so this works on so many different levels.”
