One of Scotland’s finest hotels is reaping the benefits of switching to a greener, lower carbon solution for its heating and electrical power requirements based on a new combined heat and power system (CHP).

The Royal George Hotel in Perth on the banks of the River Tay has been in business for over 200 years. Discerning guests have included Queen Victoria, who awarded the hotel a rare Royal Warrant after she stayed there in 1848.

In recent months an EC Power gas-fired CHP unit and matching thermal store working in conjunction with new condensing boiler plant has doubled the hotel’s energy efficiency to 96% and slashed electricity bills by a third – despite rising fuel prices.

The Royal George’s owner and manager Eddie Anderson is naturally delighted with his experience of green engineering.

“I’ve been really impressed with the savings delivered by the EC Power system. The flexibility of programming and the scope of the reporting is excellent.”

At the heart of the system is an XRGi-13G mini-CHP machine, part of the EC Power marketed in the UK by SAV Systems. This rugged machine, with its ultra-reliable Toyota gas-fired engine, can provide 4-13kW electricity and 17-29kW heating. And there’s no need to export spare electricity to the grid – there is no spare electricity.

The hotel has a round the clock energy requirement, with electricity needed for power and lighting, although demand reduces at night time. Electricity generation matches load over each 24-hour period while the unique modulating system ensures that the electricity generated never exceeds demand.

Waste heat generated by the micro-CHP unit is fed through a special heat exchanger and used to heat water, which is stored in a thermal store at around 80oC. Water from the store can be drawn off to provide heating and domestic hot water services as required.

The EC Power mini-CHP system provides 60% of the Royal George’s electricity – plus some 20,000kWh of free heat each month.

Data from the daily operation of the system can be read on site and is also transmitted via the internet to the monitoring station in Bristol operated by SAV Systems for all EC Power CHP projects.

A minimum reduction in CO2 emissions of 30,000 kg is expected every year, making the Royal George green as well as a pleasant place to stay.