Hotels

We asked our customers what they would like hotels to do to reduce their emissions and if they would be prepared to pay more for a night’s stay if they did. They told us they would be happy to pay around £3 - £4 extra per night if the hotel was taking action to reduce its emissions and using its website to tell customers about the measures it was taking.

Below we have listed the actions that customers would like hotels to carry out now and in the future. We have also calculated the top five actions that will enable a hotel to cut its energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by up to 36%.

What customers would like hotels to do now

• Only wash towels when necessary
• Only provide toiletries on request
• Reduce food waste
• Install electric vehicle charge points
• Install solar panels
• Avoid single use items such as plastic cups
• Use more insulation and sustainable building materials.

What customers would like hotels to do in future

• Install an energy system which only heats hotel rooms in use
• Install efficient, eco-friendly appliances
• Install motion sensor lighting.

What hotels can do to reduce carbon emissions by up to 36%

• Replace lighting with LEDs and fit motion sensors
• Introduce carbon literacy training for colleagues
• Maximise insulation and minimise drafts
• Replace taps and shower heads with water-efficient versions
• Install solar panels and electric vehicle charge points.

Greater Manchester hotel saves £650 a year with LED lighting

The Worsley Hall Marriott Hotel has revamped its golf changing facilities by upgrading the lighting to a modern, low energy LED scheme, controlled by sensors and switches.

As well as eliminating maintenance costs for many years to come, the new system uses 55% less power. For an installation cost of £1,500, the hotel has reduced its energy use by 5,000kWh and save £650 per year, meaning the new lighting will pay for itself in two and a half years.

Hampshire hotel reduces energy use by 31%

The Sandford Springs Hotel in Hampshire has fitted solar panels and an energy efficiency system to cut its energy use by 31%.

Solar energy supplier Anesco installed a 100-panel, roof-mounted solar system which now generates over 27.5 MWh of renewable energy a year, enough to power more than five detached houses, while saving over 14 tonnes of carbon annually. The system is expected to pay for itself in just over 7.5 years and allows any excess energy to be sold back to the grid.

The hotel has also installed an energy efficiency system to its air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump systems which has led to a 31% reduction in energy, delivering further cost savings and environmental benefits to the hotel. Find out more.

Electricity North West makes electric vehicle charge points accessible for all employees

98 new electric vehicle (EV) charge points will be installed at our sites for company and private vehicle use to add to the 15 we already have in place, at a cost of around £140,000. This includes 28 fast chargers (7/11kW) and 71 slow chargers (3kW/13amp sockets). 

Research suggests that the charging behaviour of current EV users is to charge their EV for three hours every two days. Therefore most of the chargers we will install are slow (suitably designed and rated outdoor 13amp sockets) which will meet the charging needs of the majority of our colleagues. Find out more.

To find out more about cutting energy bills for your hotel, download our guide.

A guide to reducing carbon emissions for hotels