Holiday cottages where going green has made a real splash
Commercial site: Cranmer Holiday Cottages, Fakenham, Norfolk
Nature of installation: Solar thermal collector; 2 x ground source heat pumps (GSHP); underfloor heating
Specification: Solar thermal collector for swimming pool water heating; 1 x GSHP pump in
conjunction with underfloor heating systems; 1 x high temperature GSHP (domestic hot water)
Background: The owners of these rural holiday cottages have been working tirelessly to offer an
outstanding holiday product totally in tune with the environment. The site includes 8 holiday lets
and top quality facilities.
Solution: The cottage complex has an indoor swimming pool sited in a beautiful Victorian barn. It
was of paramount importance to maintain the character of the building throughout any installation
or renewable energy equipment. East Green Energy proposed a Velux in-roof solar thermal collector
on the south-facing roof to provide the heated water for the indoor swimming pool, with the
standard fuel system as a back-up in place to support the system throughout less sunny periods. The
in-roof system has certain aesthetic advantages and inside, particular care was also taken to hide
pipework and not detract from historic redbrick walls of the old barn.
In addition to five existing holiday cottages, three new conversions gave East Green Energy the
opportunity to work alongside the builders to incorporate underfloor heating systems and install
GSHPs to fuel both heating and hot water systems throughout the restored set of buildings.
Vertical bore holes were preferred, reducing the need for considerable earthworks. These also
offered the most cost-effective option for installation for the ground array on this occasion and
drilling was undertaken out of the main holiday season to keep inconvenience to other
holidaymakers at a minimum. The local geology did however bring inconveniences of its own with
the result that the three proposed bore holes, each some 90m deep, had to be relocated away from
the original proposed site. This was not an issue; the property being on a farm, plenty of land was
available.
A regular GSHP system was put in place to serve low-energy underfloor heating. This could all be put
in place neatly at the time of conversion, doing away with unsightly pipework and need for radiators
of any kind, thus also maximising the available space within the holiday cottages.
A high temperature GSHP system was installed to provide the properties with domestic hotwater.
Outcome: The green initiatives not only deliver lower running and maintenance costs, but are a
fundamental part of the marketing success of the luxury cottage holidays business. Cranmer Holiday
Cottages have won an array of top green tourism and business awards and offer the discerning
visitor to Norfolk a very special holiday experience which may help convert more people to
renewable energy systems in the future : “Our 3 recently converted 5 star holiday cottages, the eco
barns, offer a chance to experience a low carbon Norfolk holiday in accommodation which uses
energy from carbon neutral sources; earth, wind and sun and a solar assisted salt dosed indoor
heated swimming pool. We are helping sustain the wonderful natural Norfolk landscape surrounding
us, via our commitment to save energy, preserve the environment and help fight climate change.”
(Cranmer Holiday Cottages)
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