Eco rewards at Meldrum House
June 14, 2010

Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Club has begun to reap the rewards of investing in a new greenkeeping centre which boasts a number of innovative eco-friendly technologies. As well as providing secure storage for the resort's fleet of mowers, tractors and aerators, the £750,000 development is also helping to reduce the resort's fuel bills through highly-efficient wood pellet/log boilers which provide heating and hot water for the facility.

The new complex, which took 18 months to construct, has also been designed to collect rainwater which is then used to wash the machines. Once used, the water is filtered and stored for further use. The eco-credentials of the 875m 2 compound are also enhanced by a super-wall system which incorporates high-performance insulating materials that trap heat within the building and reduce heat loss. The result is a new maintenance facility that has the potential of being entirely self sufficient within a year.

"At the moment we're using pellets for the burners, but we hope to use wood only from the estate by this time next year," commented Kenneth Harper, golf course and estate grounds manager. "We think it is extremely important to adopt a responsible approach to energy and water usage and as a result, eco-planning has become an important part of our business. It had an obvious bearing on the design of the new complex, which we're delighted with."

In fact, this considered approach extends throughout the resort. For instance, the golf club has a fleet of electric buggies, rather than using petrol carts, while the greenkeepers maintain buffer zones around ponds and lakes to protect the water from chemical contamination. It's an attitude the resort's managing director is extremely proud of.

"The grounds at Meldrum House are stunning not only because of the flora and fauna found here, but also due to 800 years of history," said head of operations and development Andy Burgess. "Our objective is to protect this special environment so it can be enjoyed for generations to come, but to do this we need to invest in new technologies that help us utilize the resources around us sustainably rather than relying on the national grid. It saves us money and helps protect the environment, so everyone wins."

Although the facility has only been in use since January, projected savings include reducing the complex's £8,000 heating bill to nil.