Adapt your business to climate change

The City Hotel Derry is a four star hotel on the banks of the River Foyle in the centre of Derry~Londonderry. The hotel was built in 2002 and caters for business and leisure guests in its 158 bedrooms, as well as functions such as weddings and conferences. There is also a bar, restaurant, fitness gym and pool/spa, which is also open to membership of local residents. The site is a detached building with eight floors and a basement garage. The building's gross floor area is approximately 14,400 m2.

As part of Chardon Management environmental management system, a review of all energy and waste streams was initiated in late 2007. The hotel set an annual target of 3 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions and 10 per cent for reduction waste. Its ultimate goal is zero carbon emissions and zero waste to landfill.

What we did

City Hotel approached the Carbon Trust in 2007, who carried out an audit of the hotel revealing many energy and resources issues. The benefits of energy audits were realised through further engagement with Invest Northern Ireland and the Carbon Trust at a workshop later in the year. The developing relationship has given City Hotel access to current energy efficient measures and to local, sustainable resource outlets. This helped it to reduce its carbon footprint, and resulted in significant cost savings.

The hotel implemented various energy efficiency measures, such as conversion of the site to run on natural gas, installing LED lighting, updating its BMS system and the installation of automatic window openers. The hotel has also being training its staff in energy efficiency and environmental awareness issues, culminating in the creation of a green team and energy champion. Staff segregate all the waste for recycling, this minimises the cost of disposal of the remaining material.

What the benefits were

City Hotel has diverted a reduction in CO2 emission from utilities of over 31 per cent, equating to 580 tonnes per annum. The hotel is also working with Invest NI to continually seek the most cost beneficial methods of reducing all its energy and waste streams. By recycling and having the food waste converted to compost, City Hotel now avoid sending over 90 tonnes of material to landfill.

This has delivered annual savings of over £67,000 from reductions in utilities and waste. A continual review of energy efficiency best practices and the process of waste reduction, including water, has helped minimise the impact of utility price rises. These measures will further reduce the company's carbon footprint and increase its profitability, sustainability and environmental credentials.

City Hotel Derry's Energy Champion Clare Campbell said "Carbon and waste reduction is becoming increasingly beneficial and necessary in the current economic climate. These measures have assisted us towards our goal of zero carbon emissions and have helped us achieve zero waste to landfill. For our efforts we have been awarded the Green Tourism Gold Award and the Zero Waste Gold Award for 2013."