UK-based hospitality group Whitbread has debuted its first 100% renewable energy-powered property, Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre, in the UK.
This hotel's design and operation are claimed to shape an emissions-reducing strategy for Premier Inn's UK and Irish properties.
The launch is part of Whitbread’s strategy to eliminate main gas connections in its properties by 2040.
Whitbread head of construction for UK regions and Ireland Richard Aldread said: “By welcoming guests to our first all-electric budget hotel in the UK, we are opening the doors on the future. Swindon’s 100% renewably powered Premier Inn shows that sustainability and affordability can be two sides of the same coin and is part of a string of investments in innovative, sustainable properties at Whitbread.
“Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre is our first all-electric hotel without connection to a mains gas supply and is the culmination of years of hard work and commitment to designing and operating lower-carbon hotels, which has helped us reduce direct operational emissions by over 50% since 2016. It represents a significant milestone as we endeavour to bring our operational emissions to zero by 2040.”
The hotel features a Mitsubishi Q-Ton CO₂ Heat Pump for water heating, LED lighting with controls and metering linked to a battery monitoring system for automated energy management.
It will have on-site solar photovoltaic panels and will purchase only renewable electricity from the grid, aligning with Whitbread's UK and Germany operations.
The hotel maintains temperature control with mechanical ventilation, passive heat recovery and an air source heat pump.
The building envelope achieves the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology’s standards.
It uses a Passivhaus-inspired fabric-first approach for energy optimisation.
Additionally, the hotel minimises heat transfer through natural sunlight and reuses heat generated by electronic equipment.
The Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre hotel employs a total of 46 people.
The hotel aims to bring economic benefits to Swindon, with each Premier Inn hotel generating approximately £3.3m ($4.03m) in annual guest spending.
