Orchard helps popular tourist attraction cut energy costs

JORVIK Viking Centre has become the latest tourist attraction to link up with Yorkshire energy specialist Orchard as it looks to cut costs without impacting on visitor experience.

With an annual spend of between £80,000 and £90,000 on electricity alone, the York venue’s director of finance, Peter Nicholson, identified energy as one of its biggest overheads and the obvious place to start when making cutbacks.

York Archaeological Trust, which owns JORVIK Viking Centre, operate eight sites in York.

Orchard carried out a detailed survey of the energy usage at all its sites to demonstrate the most efficient tariffs, contracts and suppliers for the organisation as a whole.

Mr Nicholson said: “We’re a charity and our main objective is to offer people a good value day out and maintain a strong educational focus.

“We’ve just unveiled our £1m JORVIK 3 project and we’re keen to improve parts of the ride area but we are operating in an increasingly competitive market and need to keep costs low wherever possible.”

Gareth Henderson, managing director of Orchard Energy, said: “Orchard specialises in dealing with charities and trusts and we understand the intricate decision making process involved in these organisations.

“By providing detailed information and market intelligence as clearly and simply as possible the board of trustees can see at once how they can make savings.”

Orchard also manages energy supplies for Harewood, Eureka Children’s Museum, the Devonshire Estate, Ripley Castle, York Castle and Castle Howard.

Mr Henderson added: “For tourist attractions, venues and museums cutting costs isn’t as straightforward as it is with other businesses because lighting and heating are necessary to create the right ambience.”