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Waterton Park Hotel has become the first hotel in Yorkshire to install geothermal heat source pumps.
Installed in the hotel’s 26-acre lake, the geothermal pumps will provide heating and hot water for the property.
Based in Wakefield, the four-star hotel could become one of the first in the UK to eradicate the need for oil to heat its main building, Walton Hall, by harnessing heat energy from the earth.
The state-of-the-art system involves 3,200 metre loops of piping sunk beneath the lake’s surface. Held in place by weights, enough space has been left to ensure Walton Hall’s trout fishing anglers won’t snag any of the piping.
It is estimated that the hotel will save around £45,000 per year in fuel costs.
These eco-friendly improvements are befitting of the building’s founder, Charles Waterton, who made the hall into the world’s first wildfowl and nature reserve.
Director of Waterton Park Debbie Taylor remarked: “This is a case of using the natural resources around you to help make things more eco-friendly without disturbing our abundance of wildlife. It saves fuel, saves money and reduces our reliance on traditional fuels. We hope Charles Waterton would approve.”
Heat from the earth can be used as an energy source in many ways. Many parts of the world are beginning to tap into geothermal energy as an affordable and sustainable solution to reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and the global warming and public health risks that can result from their use.
