Renewables for a heritage brewer's new hotel

With over 150 years of heritage, St Austell Brewery is a major South West employer that takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Its new 36-bedroom County Arms hotel in Truro had to fit the brewery's green plan.

We assessed the feasibility of solar PV, solar thermal, wind, heat pumps, biomass and rainwater harvesting, taking account of natural resources, space, cost and aesthetics.

We modelled the financials for each technology in RETScreen so every option could be compared on the same basis.

Within the constraints of the approved planning application, the brewery chose solar PV and solar thermal. Both systems have been contributing to the hotel's energy supply for more than two years.