Hotel looks to lake for energy needs

A LAKE District hotel is planning to introduce a new technology which will make use of natural energy stored in Windermere to meet its power needs.

The owners of the Low Wood Bay Resort Hotel & Marina have commissioned a water source heat pump (WSHP) system to convert latent heat contained in Windermere to provide heating and hot water for the resort hotel which has 111 bedrooms.

It will generate around three million kilowatts of power a year, which is equivalent to the power needed to boil around 15 million kettles.

It will be the largest system of its kind to be used by a private business in the UK.

Latent heat energy from Windermere will also be used to power a new glass fronted convention and exhibition centre planned on the site, as well as a new watersports complex.

Tim Berry, estates director and co-owner of the family run business English Lakes Hotels, Resorts & Venues, believes the innovative technology will prove to be an added attraction for holidaymakers, business leaders and organisations from all over the country.

He said: “In an age where businesses are concerned about their carbon footprint, our guests can holiday and clients can hold their conferences here knowing they will have significantly less impact on the environment.

“Many people will be surprised that it is possible to generate so much energy from the cold waters of Windermere. This is an exciting and innovative form of renewable energy that has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the energy needs of areas like the Lake District.

“This system will give us ownership of 60% of our energy needs and make us less susceptible to fluctuations in gas and electricity prices, as well as providing substantial cost benefits and helping the environment.”

The main part of the hotel is a listed building, dating back to 1718, and in the 1800s the hotel used to produce its own gas from burning coal. Some of the original gas taps can still be seen within the building.

“If it was good enough in the Victorian age for the hotel to produce its own energy, the question we asked ourselves was why can’t we do it now. In those days we were thinking sustainably and now we are turning full circle,” says Berry.

The hotel has commissioned renewable energy and eco-building specialists Ground Sun to develop the system. Ground Sun is seeking approval from the Environment Agency to draw water from Windermere and pass it through a heat exchanger on the shore side before returning the water to the lake.

Once the sustainability features have been added as part of a multi-million pound redevelopment programme, the hotel’s owners believe it will be the greenest in the UK.

Ground Sun’s chief engineer Brian Connell said: “Low Wood Bay Resort would become the UK’s first green, sustainable, low carbon holiday and conference destination.”

“This technology offers a real solution to the UK’s energy needs for the future, and will be crucial to helping the government meet its emissions targets.”

He said similar systems are in place in Europe and North America, but the technology is rare in the UK.

“No other privately owned business in the UK will have a WSHP system on this scale.”

Discussions are in an advanced stage, and a detailed planning application is expected to be submitted to the Lake District National Park Authority..

Berry added: “I hope this will lead the way for other hotels and tourist attractions in the area to use this great resource to enable Windermere to move towards becoming a carbon free tourism destination.”