Ilenroy B&B in Skibbereen, West Cork
“Crippling” Energy Bills
Breda and Ronnie Tanner, proprietors of the Ilenroy B&B in Skibbereen came to Future Generation Energy looking for a holistic answer to their energy problems. They were using night-time storage heaters for space and water heating. Not only was the system not providing enough hot water but their electricity bills were astronomical at approximately €30 per night. “It was crippling. We’d heat 3 tanks of water overnight and by the time people checked in at 4pm there was no hot water for showers.” said Breda of the problem. They also had a very high level of humidity in the kitchen due to the steam iron being used there for the laundry services. “The kitchen used to be totally fogged up when we were using the steam iron, you couldn’t see through the windows.” They wanted to increase their energy efficiency to cut costs and to reduce their carbon footprint.
A Bespoke Solution
After a thorough survey of their property and energy requirements 3 main needs were identified; space heating for the office, dining room, living room, landing/hall and kitchen, cooling and dehumidifying for the kitchen and hot water for the bedrooms. A bespoke system would have to be designed to meet these requirements.
The system that was agreed upon was a mixed media solution using air source heat pumps mounted on the outside back wall and a thermodynamic panel on the roof to heat the water cylinders.
AIRSOURCE HEAT PUMPS
THERMODYNAMIC PANEL
A combination of slim line floor radiators and wall mounted cassettes would deliver heating, cooling and dehumidifying action to the relevant rooms, as well as a ceiling mounted infrared panel for the office reception area.
One Tenth of the Running Cost of the Previous System!
“I can’t understand how 10 people can have a shower and there’s still hot water!”
We went back to visit Breda and Ronnie 5 weeks after installation. I asked them if their energy problems had been solved by the new system. Although they hadn’t received an electricity bill yet to compare costs, they had been monitoring the consumption closely. What had been costing them €30 per night was down to €2 to €3 per night and they estimate that at that rate system would pay for itself within 2 – 3 years. “One night we left all the heating on and forgot to turn it off overnight and it only racked up €3.50.” said Breda. About the hot water requirements, she said “10 people could have a shower in the morning and it doesn’t run out. Its endless hot water and the showers are perfect temperature. I can’t understand how 10 people can have a shower and there’s still hot water!”
And what about the space heating/cooling? They noticed how quickly the space heats, within 10 minutes it’s comfortable and of the humidity in the kitchen “Now it’s totally clear. There’s no steam on the windows.”
100% Recommendation
They’re looking forward to receiving their adjusted electricity bill for confirmation and so they can really see their savings come in. In the meantime they say they are very happy customers and would “100% recommend” Future Generation Energy to their friends for providing the right solution, and for their respectful manner and polished finish.