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Tom Ashton of Burnham-On-Sea's Warren Guest House will explain
at the event how 'going green' has been a successful formula
for him that has led to increased customer satisfaction
and profits...
 In
October 2006, Tom was shocked to find that gas and electricity
prices had shot up, doubling the amount of their energy
bills. Unable to switch to a cheaper supplier because of
contractual ties, his only option was to find a way of reducing
the guest house's energy consumption.
So,
after doing some homework, he discovered that the property's
energy supplier offered grants to help meet the costs of
loft insulation, an excellent way to save energy.
This
meant that the guest house was able to improve the level
of insulation at the property for only £200. They
also found that turning the heating down by one degree Celsius
saves up to 10 per cent of gas usage, and turning the Aga
range down by just half a degree, with a number of other
small measures brought the savings to 26 per cent.
Other
simple measures, such as using soft furnishings, energy
saving light bulbs and timers to reduce energy consumption
and using a water butt in the garden led to a massive 45
per cent overall saving on utility bills.
"About
70 to 80 per cent of our custom is repeat business and we
need to make sure that every visit is pleasant and comfortable",
said Shirley.
"Heating
is especially important to our older guests, but although
reducing our energy consumption has had a big impact on
our bills, the changes are so small that our guests haven't
noticed at all."
In
fact, going green has proved very popular with guests, who
are keen to support The Warren Guest House's environmentally-friendly
approach. The guest house also uses locally sourced food
wherever possible, and the Warren's homemade jam has gone
down very well.
"Although
trade in the Burnham area has been difficult this year,
business has been good for us and 'going green' has enabled
us to charge higher prices. Guests appreciate our green
garden and the wild life it attracts, and they like the
fact that we use local produce," added Tom.
"For
us, it has made good business sense to put these environmentally-friendly
measures in place. But it also gives me peace of mind to
think that I'm doing my bit for the planet, because I want
to make sure my three grandchildren can enjoy it when they
grow up too."
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The
'Going Green for Profit' event will be held next Tuesday (October
16th) at Brean's Beachcomber Inn and aims to offer firms advice
on how adopting green measures can increase takings, save money
and attract new visitors.
