How golf clubs in Sussex can reduce energy costs and
carbon emissions

BHESCo want to partner with golf clubs in Sussex to drive down energy costs and environmental impact by introducing modern, low-carbon micro-generation technologies and energy saving systems at clubhouses and maintenance facilities

Most golf clubs are located in rural country areas and rely on fossil fuels for their heat and power.

An increasing demand from club members for golf clubs to become more sustainable, coupled with rising energy costs means that golf club managers are looking for new solutions to reduce operating expenses and limit environmental impact.

BHESCo are an award winning energy co-operative in Sussex providing the technical expertise and financial solutions necessary to support golf clubs who want to transition to an affordable, low-carbon energy supply.

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Why it is important for golf clubs in Sussex to improve energy performance

By nature of their remote countryside location golf clubs are typically many miles away from the nearest utility connection. For this reason, most golf clubhouses and maintenance facilities rely on diesel generators and oil and LPG tanks to provide a reliable source of heat and/ or power.

Running a successful golf course is also an extremely energy intensive operation. A reliable and affordable source of power is required for the operation of maintenance equipment, clubhouse kitchens and lighting, dining and changing facilities, and golf cart charging.

In addition to energy consumption, maintaining a healthy golf course requires the distribution of a great deal of water around the site. A typical water pumping system can easily account for more than 25% of the annual energy use of a golf course¹.

What options are available for improving the energy performance at your golf club?

The high levels of energy consumption experienced at golf clubs brings an abundance of opportunities for potential improvements.

The energy landscape is evolving at a rapid pace and new technologies are becoming available all the time that can deliver significant cost and carbon savings for your facility.

Depending on the energy consumption profile of your golf club and the unique characteristics of your facility and location, potential improvements could include:

Improving energy efficiency and thermal insulation

Improving the thermal and energy efficiency of your clubhouse to provide a high level of comfort for your members and staff whilst simultaneously reducing your energy consumption and associated costs.

Introducing efficient renewable heating technologies

Removing oil or Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a heat source and replacing it with an efficient heat pump will improve the air quality of your golf course, satisfy environmental expectations of club members, and insulate you from volatile oil markets.

Installing on-site renewable micro-generation

Removing diesel generators and replacing them with your own renewable electricity (eg. solar panels) will deliver significant reduction ito the environmental impact of your opertations.

Furthermore, in situations where an electical connection does exist, having the ability to generate your own electricity will be much cheaper when compared to purchasing electricity from a national energy supplier.

You may also open up new revenue streams by selling excess electricity to energy suppliers, to you neighbours via peer to peer trading, or through electric vehicle charging.

Taking advantage of battery storage technologies

Installing battery storage technologies can deliver a suite of benefits and opportunities:

store unused power from your solar panels and discharge it at times when needed.
enable you to take advantage of a Time of Use tariff, charging the battery at times when energy prices are cheap and discharging at times when prices are high.
provide flexibility services for the local electricity network, absorbing electricity when there is a glut of renewables generation overwhelming the grid, and discharging electricity at times of peak demand.

Electric vehicle and golf cart charge points

Utilise on-site electricity generation to directly charge club member electric vehicles (EVs) or electric golf carts.

Providing access to electric vehicle charge points will be an increasing priority for golf clubs over the next decade, and becoming an early adopter will provide your club with the edge over competition.

What are the benefits of installing energy saving and energy generating technologies at your golf club?

Installing carefully selected energy saving or energy generating technologies will deliver instant advantages to your golf club, for example:

Money saved on energy expenses can be diverted for investment in other areas of the business, such as course management, maintenance equipment, or marketing campaigns.
A considered energy strategy focused on reducing the environmental impact of your golf club will prepare you for the UK’s transition to a carbon neutral future and demonstrate to your members that your club is committed to advancing social causes beyond your core business.
Identify new revenue streams available from export of electricity from solar panels or batteries to energy suppliers, neighbours, or electric vehicles.

Demonstrate leadership by taking action on climate change

As club members and stakeholder expectations shift in response to the growing climate crisis, it is essential for golf club managers to demonstrate environmental responsibility by ensuring that facilities are modern, efficient and sustainable.

By taking action on energy performance, you are reducing the climate impact of your business, demonstrating social and environmental leadership. Positive action on reducing carbon emissions is increasingly appealing to investors, customers and employees and can attract funds, revenue and staff to your business.

Tackling climate change is a seen as a top priority by more people than at any other time in history. In response to the climate emergency, customers expect the businesses they patronise to be actively engaged in taking measures to minimise the environmental impact of their operations.

Younger generations in particular have demonstrated a willingness to support businesses who have shown transparency and ambition as regards a carbon emissions reduction strategy, even when that means paying a little extra.

How working with BHESCo will deliver the best results for improving the energy performance of your golf club

To identify opportunities for improving the energy performance of any golf or sports facility it is vital to gain a thorough understanding of energy demand and consumption patterns.

For this reason, a bespoke BHESCo energy survey should be the first phase of any planned improvements, underpinning every other stage of your future energy strategy.

Our bespoke energy survey will provide a thorough and detailed examination of every aspect involved with heating and powering your clubhouses and course maintenance facilities.

Our Energy Saving Team will conduct an on-site survey to capture all relevant data, using FLIR thermal imaging software where necessary. We will analyse your energy bill data to gain an understanding of your energy usage and to identify if waste is occurring and where performance can be improved.

‘’We are delighted with our new solar panel system within our greenkeepers compound. With the use of solar panels we have reduced our diesel cost significantly whilst providing a valuable resource of clean electricity. BHESCo provided a first class service for which we may use again’’

M Yeats - Dyke Golf Club - Brighton - Improving energy performance of your golf club

Martin Yeats

Club Manager
Dyke Golf Club

Our Energy Saving Team will produce a detailed report recommending the most cost-effective solutions to remedy areas of significant heat loss and energy waste.

Our report will also measure and compare the anticipated reduction in demand that we can expect from installing different types of energy saving and/ or energy generating technologies.

In this way we can make conclusions about which combination of technologies will best meet the heat and power requirements of your golf club, as well as being able to provide upfront cost and future savings projections to help you make the best decision.

BHESCo’s industry experience and expertise makes us an ideal partner for golf clubs who are interested in improving the energy performance of their facilities.

Our Project Management Team will design a bespoke on-site micro-generation and energy saving system, identifying technology synergies to enhance efficiency and deliver maximum cost savings for your golf club.

BHESCo’s services and the installation of energy saving/ generating technologies are available for no upfront cost through our innovative ‘Pay As You Save’ financing.

Switch Your Energy Tariff

One of the simplest and easiest ways to reduce the cost of your monthly energy bills is by switching to a cheaper supplier or tariff.

BHESCo work with our trusted commercial energy broker to secure the best deals available on the market.

Check the details of your current tariff and give us a call.

Case Studies

Dyke Golf Club, Brighton

Year: 2018

Technology Installed:

7.7kW solar array, LED lighting, 10kW battery bank, monitoring & control system, FIT generation meter

Lifetime Financial Saving: £9,254

Lifetime CO₂ Saving: 45 tonnes

Read Full Case Study

Funding Your Energy Saving Measures

At BHESCo we understand that the upfront cost of installing energy saving measures for your business or organisation can be expensive.

That’s why we make our innovative ‘Pay As You Save’ financing available to all of our customers.

We cover the upfront project cost on your behalf which is then paid back over time using a portion of the savings achieved on your monthly energy bill. Once our loan is repaid you become the owner of your energy saving measures and will enjoy 100% of the savings for the lifetime of the equipment.

If you are interested in taking action to reduce the energy costs and environmental impact of your golf club then request an energy survey using the booking form link below and our Energy Saving Team will contact you within the next few working days.

References

1 – https://media.golfprop.com/media/2018/10/GCSAA_GolfCourseEnergyUse_Part1_EnergyGenerationAndDelivery.pdf

How golf clubs in Sussex can reduce energy costs and carbon emissions