why we are going green at tory bush cottages

We operate two Self-catering Businesses in County Down

Dundrum Bay Holiday Homes Tory Bush Cottages

£5.5 million contribution to the local EconomyBased on NITB visitor spend figure of £39 per person per night.

• Open 16 Years• 9 Properties• 48 Bed-spaces• 33% Annual Occupancy

• £3,644,160.00

• Open 11 Years• 8 Properties• 42 Bed-spaces• 30% Annual Occupancy

• £1,972,971.00

Tory Bush achieved Green Tourism Award in June,

just 5 points of a Gold award, - our next target.

The reasons why we are going Green;

• It is the right thing to be doing from a societal point of view.

• There is a definite benefit to our profitability.

• In a localised over-supplied self-catering market there is ‘stand-out’.

• Paradoxically, the aspiration to have the Mournes recognised as a green destination.

Why go Green?The common perception of Global Warming

Another Common Perception, but the problem is also closer to home!

Rising Sea-level, Tidal Surges; the East Coast at great risk.

A business venture we are considering,Widows Row Dundrum

Beautiful Authentic Cottages with a Provenance, the great Storm of 1843.

Part of our Concept for the Widows Row Cottages

Sea Defence Wall around a new School 75 metres from the Holiday Homes

The wall all around the Building

The new Sea Defence only 75 metres from the 15 year old Holiday Homes.

Tidal Damage in front of the Holiday Homes

Something Has to be done.

Without getting in to the science we all have to do something to alleviate this climatic change.

What have we done at Tory Bush?

Almost 97% of our energy is from renewable sources

The missing 3% is the gas powered Tumble driers installed as part of an earlier greening effort

Some of the other Green Activities we carry out at Tory Bush

Self-Catering Cottages at Tory Bush, this photo was taken after the installation of the District Heating Network, and re-instatement of the groundworks. The entry point for the heating pipes to this house is the small covered

box to the left of the porch, slated and painted to match the house.

Installation of District Heating Network in November 2013. This was a major upheaval, carried out during low season when few bookings, the work was

completed for arrival of the Christmas and New Year Bookings.

Tory Bush Cottages District Heat Network

Biomass Cabin, supplied by Alternative Heat, the building is plaster rendered with a ‘slap dash’ finish and painted in keeping with other buildings on site.

Schematic of the inside of the Biomass Cabin, at one end there is a 10 tonne wood pellet store with a firewall between it and the Herz Boiler, at the other end of the cabin the 5000 Litre Buffer

tank

Herz Boiler in situ, note the window (right edge of photo) to the wood pellet store to monitor the pellet usage.

Thermomax evacuated tubes on roof of Reception Building supplying hot water to the Laundry. This is a very synergistic combination;- as the demand for laundry increases across the summer with more bookings, more sunshine gives more hot water. It is calculated that 85% of the hot water required by the laundry , across the

whole year, is provided by the evacuated tubes; the remainder is heated by the Photovoltaic powered immersion heater or by heat exchange via a secondary coil from the Wood Pellet District System.

Photovoltaic Panels on the roof of adjacent Stable Block, these have surpassed expectations supplying 90% of our Electricity. Our annual bills have decreased from £1800 to £160.00. We took the trouble to source the market leading Hybrid panels

best suited to the N.I. solar radiation pattern.

The most recent Quarterly Electricity Bill for the 9 Holiday Cottages and Conference Facility at Tory Bush Cottages. This bill, for an Autumn/Winter

quarter, used to be in excess of £400.00

The first years Wood Pellet Usage at Tory Bush Cottages, the 2nd column on the left shows the weight in Tonnes, a total of 27 Tonne replacing about

12,000 litres of LPG used per year previously. A carbon saving of 18 tonne.