The 40-bedroom West Highland Hotel is located in the fishing village of Mallaig on the West Coast of Scotland – offering guests incredible views over the islands of Skye, Rum and Eigg. The hotel is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and is taking steps to reduce its environmental impact through the Green Tourism Scheme.
The hotel management contacted us to identify the options that were available to improve the hotel’s environmental sustainability while reducing its energy overheads. Our specialist provided a free report detailing the energy savings, capital investment and payback period of upgrading the hotel’s gas boiler to high efficiency biomass fuel.
Equipped with this information, the hotel applied for the Scottish Government’s SME Loan to fund the upgrade. The boiler is saving the business almost £20,000 on its annual energy bill, and is enabling the hotel to remain open in the winter, which is providing a valuable new revenue stream.
“The support from the service and the funding we obtained through the SME loan was critical in allowing us to go ahead and install our biomass boiler. The support that we received was excellent and made the entire process from application to installation extremely straightforward. The loan has allowed us to extend the period that the hotel is open for and allow our guests to experience a West Highland winter in luxury and comfort”. Sine Davis, West Highland Hotel.
The Scottish Government’s SME loans offer businesses up to £100,000 to make savings to their energy, waste and water equipment systems. Our expert advisors support applicants at every step of this process, from planning and funding to implementation. The West Highland Hotel also received support to install low-energy lighting and movement sensors, and employ a temporary member of staff to oversee the changes. We continuing to support the hotel’s plans to enhance energy efficiency by replacing existing electric heating in the bedrooms with a wet heating system, which could see savings double to nearly £40,000.
Help for your business
Business Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to provide free, impartial support and access to funding to help small and medium-sized enterprises save energy, carbon and money
Whether you are just starting out on your energy-saving journey and need some pointers or are looking for expertise and funding to support your current plans, our team of experienced business advisors and energy-saving consultants are here to help. Get in touch today.
Get the case study sent straight to your inbox
If you liked this case study, make sure you sign up to our regular ezine, The Bottom Line. It’s an easy way to keep up to date with all the latest updates including grants and funding, free training, case studies, the latest blogs and other useful resources that can help your organisation improve its environmental performance, save resources and save money.