The greenest hotel in the UK?

Historic country house hotel, Nailcote Hall, has completed a major investment in green utilities to create one of the greenest hotels in the country. Owning and investing in a listed, historic hotel in a greenbelt area has not been easy, especially in the current and uncertain economic or political climate. This did not deter Rick Cressman, owner of Nailcote Hall Hotel, who, over the last three years, has been determined to make what he calls ‘no brainer’ cost-saving investments in green utilities for his business. The first green initiative, funded by the hotel’s environmental waste management partners, ACM Environmental, saw the installation of a BioNova digester; aimed at reducing the amount of food waste going to landfill from six tonnes per month to approximately one tonne per month. The BioNova also produces an ongoing supply of renewable fuel from food material, which is now supplementing the wood pellet supply for a new 100KW biomass boiler. This is now dramatically reducing the hotel’s gas consumption and has qualified them for the Government’s renewable heat incentive programme. Future plans include the further utilisation of the waste-to-heat system for supplying heat to the proposed as new Golf Club House and 10-room extension block. Additionally, some 700 light fittings in the hotel have been with seven watt LED light fittings to dramatically reduce the cost of electricity. Rick Cressman says: “None of this would have been possible without the support of organisations’ like ACM Environmental, BioNova and especially the Energy Efficiency Financing scheme jointly launched by Siemens Financial Services Limited and the Carbon Trust, to help fund some of these green investments.” Not content to stop there, the hotel has also created several ponds and water features on its Championship 9-hole Golf Course where some 220 trees have been planted, as well as numerous shrubs and plants. The result is that there are now more than 65 species of birds on the estate where very few existed 20 years ago. In addition, Rick has plans to link a previously dug borehole, already used to supply the sprinkler system on the golf course, to supply the hotel’s water supply. As the hotel stands on marl and sandstone, the quality of the water has been tested and is superb. Rick proudly states: “Nailcote Hall is certainly a very green lesson for all and I would like to thank my friends at ACM Environmental, the Energy Efficiency Financing scheme and Bio Nova who have all contributed to making it one of the greenest hotels in the UK.”