Riding the energy rollercoaster – finding ways to control your overheads
Here at Helec we have certainly had our fair share of ups and downs recently – from the Covid lockdowns, when we couldn’t have anyone on site, through to the post-Covid staycation boom, when we all wished we had more space. And now we’re on our way down again thanks to the increasing cost of energy, which is driving up the cost of virtually everything we buy. And we’re not the only business affected by the energy crisis – many others have been hit by the energy price increase and are under serious financial pressure. While companies have always tried to keep costs down, now that energy prices are going through the roof, many business owners will be asking themselves: “What else they can we to take back control of our energy bills and make our outgoings more predictable?” Businesses will certainly welcome the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS), with a maximum discount of £345/MWh for electricity and £91/MWh for gas becoming available. This will be backdated to run from October 2022 to March 2023, providing a six month window for companies to invest in insulation, energy efficiency measures, and – where possible – switch to a more sustainable energy supply. But before you rush off, let’s first analyse the situation. Here are my thoughts: What next for business? From the above list I can see that we can take some control over the cost of the electricity we use and that, rather than throwing out our gas boilers, reducing our gas consumption is the most sensible route forward. The most obvious choice is Photovoltaic (PV) panels.They provide zero carbon electricity, are simple and low maintenance and so can be considered for every site. However, PV panels aren’t always suitable as it takes quite a large area of panels to make a good contribution to the site load. They’re also less effective during our winter months. Businesses that use a lot of hot water – e.g. those in hospitality, leisure or agriculture – may benefit from installing a Solar Thermal system. The heat is generated through roof mounted solar panels which are used together with a boiler, collector or immersion heater. When the sun shines on the solar collector, it heats a transfer fluid, which is then pumped to a heat exchanger. The heat from the exchanger then heats the water inside the water tank. But, like solar PV, solar thermal is affected by the loss of direct sunlight during the winter months, when we most need heat. If you have land surrounding your business premises, you may consider installing one or more wind turbines. Like solar energy, wind energy, while intermittent, generates 100% renewable electricity and is free at source. However, wind turbines can be difficult to site due to the required planning permissions. Heat pumps are generally most effective when generating low temperature heating (less than 60°C), which makes them best suited to newer buildings designed for low temperature space heating systems. Heat pumps run on electricity which, with a typical Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 1:3, means that with the current cost of electricity you could be paying around 20p/kWh for your heat compared to a typical gas boiler, which will provide heat at around 16.5p/kWh. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a cogeneration technology that generates electricity while producing hot water, helping to optimise energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions. CHP units are compact, quiet electricity-generating sets that can produce power at around 11p/kWh while dramatically reducing your heating loads. They are usually installed within existing buildings, don’t require planning permission and can in some cases also provide backup power in case of a grid power cut. You can also use this electricity to power your heat pumps, reducing your heat cost to 3.6p/kWh from the heatpump instead of the 20p/kWh when using the grid to power them. According to the Energy Bill Relief Scheme Guidance for CHP, where the scheme CHP registered capacity under Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) determination is less than 5Mwe, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consider that reducing relief would be administratively burdensome and therefore full relief will be allowable on all gas used by the CHP. If your registered CHPQA capacity is below 5MWe, you will be able to claim on the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. However, if your registered CHPQA capacity is greater than 5MWe, you will not be able to claim full relief on your gas used. So, as a summary, the right solution for every business is of course an individual decision. There is no “one size fits all” solution, only the right combination of the best options available. I hope you’ll be making the right choice for your business to help you reduce not just your CO2 emissions, but your energy bills at the same time. Feel free to contact Helec (info@helec.co.uk) to let us evaluate the potential solutions on offer in order to help you make that journey to lower energy costs going forward.
Mature planting brings instant returns
As all successful operators know, a holiday park business cannot rely solely on their location or the surrounding countryside and must provide attractive, functional spaces to make their site a destination in itself – especially now in a shrinking economy as customers feel the pinch. Failing to understand the business need for well-maintained outdoor spaces, especially in failing to see them through the eyes of your customers, will lead to poor budgetary decisions and missed opportunities. (Planting provides a softer effect than fences or walls for dividing areas for privacy and security) So, how to go about improving the outdoor spaces of your site, and most specifically how to use plants and soft landscaping to do it? Top tips to improve outdoor areas: i. Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, how it will benefit your customers, and how it will benefit your business. ii. Prioritise key areas and the timescale in which you need to address them. Large planting schemes, as well as needing significant initial outlay, will also require maintenance so plan for this from the start and don’t take on more than you can handle in one go. Balance this with the logistical benefits (lower transport costs, less disruption in the long term, etc) of larger jobs and decide whether to undertake a single, major project or whether to break it into smaller, more manageable chunks. iii. Know the conditions on site, and specifically the growing conditions in each location (drainage, soil type, exposure, etc) as well as any other limiting factors, such as access by children, proximity to grazing animals, etc, and select plants accordingly – planting the right plant in the right place will avoid problems later. iiii. There is often a wider, or cheaper, selection of suitable plants available during the traditional planting season, which is during dormancy (November to March); for many holiday parks this coincides with the off season, so this is the ideal time to plant horticulturally, commercially, and logistically to minimise disturbance to your customers. However, demand for planting services at this time of year is high so plan ahead. v. Understand why your customers are there – this may seem obvious but sometimes it can be hard to see the wood for the trees. Decide what the USP of your site is, whether that is a particular view, proximity to local facilities or whatever, and plan your outdoor spaces accordingly. For example, don’t plant a windbreak if it compromises a key view, or don’t block off a shortcut route to town or the beach for perceived/feared (but unproven) security reasons if it then costs you bookings due to increased walking times to the local facilities and attractions. If you cater for lots of young families ensure that there are plenty of play spaces, both “formal” (with play equipment) and informal, and that they are all safe spaces. If a significant proportion of your guests are young adults on a short stay, such as for stag weekends and hen parties, provide “robust” spaces with plenty of secure seating and areas for privacy where appropriate, and use security planting (prickly/thorny plants if needs be and where appropriate) to deter access to private business areas. If the bulk of your long-term residents are more mature, ensure that there are safe and attractive ornamental spaces immediately around the living areas and communal spaces, but keep them clear from debris and obstacles and use non-slip surfaces. (Instant hedging provides structure and security) (A combination of evergreen structure and seasonal plants provide year-round interest) Pitfalls to avoid: i. Failing to understand the business need for well-maintained outdoor spaces, especially in failing to see them through the eyes of your customers, will lead to poor or incorrect budgetary decisions. Prioritise spending on what is essential and urgent, such as security, privacy and shelter planting and also on planning issues, then on what is urgent and of benefit, such as an attractive entrance and reception/office area, then on what is essential but less urgent (such as areas where you can afford to plant smaller stock and wait for them to grow), and only then look at the “nice to haves”. Don’t get carried away allocating budget on highly ornamental areas if security and privacy issues haven’t yet been addressed or if messy bin areas need to be screened off. ii. As already discussed, know the growing conditions (or get expert advice) to avoid costly mistakes – this is hugely important. iii. Don’t forget to plan and budget for maintenance, both initially to help new planting establish, but also on an ongoing basis as required. Your supplying nursery should be able to provide you with all of the information you need. iiii. Don’t treat all areas the same. Vary them according to usage, especially if this changes throughout the year, and don’t treat areas for tents or mobile caravans the same as those for fixed caravans or lodges; there is even a need to landscape small fixed living quarters, such as pods, in a very different way to how you might plant around large fixed caravans, lodges or cabins. It is also important to plant sympathetically with the surrounding landscape. v. Consider your neighbours. Dense planting to protect neighbours from unsightly views of your site, to give them privacy, and to help absorb noise, will help to improve the value of your site and to elevate the experience of your guests, but avoid unnecessarily casting excessive shade onto a neighbour’s property or causing other issues to avoid damaging and potentially stressful boundary/neighbour disputes. Call in the experts for instant results: With decades of experience in supplying the holiday park industry, as well as expert horticultural knowledge and advice, Wykeham Mature Plants are experts in supplying instant transformations tailored to the site conditions and to the requirements of your business. Supplying the trade with high quality large trees, specimen shrubs, instant hedging and screening plants for over forty five years, Wykeham Mature Plants spans 150 acres of nursery, located in a frost pocket ten miles from Scarborough; the Yorkshire-grown stock is guaranteed to be hardy and
Cumbria park’s guides lead to cheque-in for Air Ambulance
