Henry House Hot Pool & Therapy Centre

Making the most of the British climate: Henry House has embraced new technologies to maximise water and energy efficiency.

Henry House Hot Pool and Therapy Centre in Worthing installed solar panels and rain and greywater systems to boost its environmental performance and reduce utility costs.

The centre’s rainwater harvesting system collects water from the roof, which is then treated and filtered for use in the pool. Waste (or grey) water from the pool is stored and reused to flush toilets. The system saves around 400,000 litres of water a year, worth £800 off Henry House’s water bill.

Solar thermal panels are used to heat water for the pool, sinks and showers, with thermal tanks allowing the hot water to be stored until needed. From May to September the back-up gas boiler is rarely needed, and in the winter months is used just to bump up the temperature the few final degrees.

Coinciding with the new system a 10.5 kW electric shower was replaced with a mains pressure model. Used 25 hours per week, this saved £1,655 per year!

In 2011 Henry House installed photovoltaic (PV) solar panels to generate their own electricty, The system cost £14,000 which owner Karen Simporis estimates will pay back in 10 years, thanks to reduced electricty bills and the Feed-in-Tariff.

Karen realises however modern technologies alone do not present the complete solution. Simple measures such as fitting energy efficient lighting, insulation and lagging and covering the pool at night, all help to conserve energy and keep costs at a minimum.

Annual Savings Summary
Electricity 16,125 kWh = £3,140
Gas 10,700 kWh = £320
Water 400 m3 = £800

Karen also involves staff and customers in green initiatives. In 2009 she installed a bike rack and gave everyone who cycled to the centre a free fair trade banana. The scheme not only increased awareness about sustainable issues and reduced car journeys, but also provided good publicity for Henry House. As did winning the 2009 Worthing Green Business Award, duly deserved for continual impressive environmental performance, come rain or shine.

Contact the Sustainable Business Partnership to find out how your business can also save money through environmental best practice.

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