Solar Heating - Hilton builds eco-hotel

10/06/2008

Renewable energy has allowed hotel chain Hilton to receive a very good BREEAM rating for a new development, it has emerged.

The firm has completed its first environmentally-friendly hotel, which uses a biomass boiler to lower its carbon emissions, reports Building.co.uk.

Containing 157 guest rooms, a restaurant, conference facilities, meeting rooms, bar and gym, the £16-million Hilton Garden Inn in Luton was completed in May this year.

A renewable energy biomass boiler, which burns sustainable wooden pellets to reduce the hotel's need for coal, gas or oil, is key to the BREEAM rating, along with insulation from prefabricated units.

Andy Lowe, director of HCD, which acted as a construction consultant for the project, told the publication: "Our willingness to go beyond the prescriptive code approach and work from first principles was highlighted by our involvement in the innovative provision of biomass and the use of deep boreholes for surface water drainage."

Hilton intends to open a chain of 20 eco-friendly hotels across the UK and Ireland over the next five years.

Last month, it was reported that the £10-million Kentish Town integrated health centre will use modular cascading boilers and intelligent heating controls to reduce its carbon footprint.