Commercial Case Study: Tylney Hall

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a clean, independent, cost effective and reliable alternative source of power where mains gas is unavailable. LPG can be obtained in the form of bulk tanks or cylinders. Tylney Hall, a luxury country house hotel set in over 66 acres of the picturesque Hampshire countryside, approximately 6 miles from Basingstoke, has enjoyed the benefits of being a Calor customer for over 10 years.

The Grade II listed building dates from the late nineteenth century, serving as a hospital during the First World War and then as a school, before its complete refurbishment in 1984 as a luxury hotel. Tylney Hall, which employs up to 140 people during its busiest periods, is part of the Elite Hotels group, which owns a number of prestigious hotels around the country.

As a listed building, any improvements to the hotel and its facilities had to satisfy all planning restrictions, and Tylney Hall approached a number of companies and considered a number of fuels before finally choosing a Calor powered system to meet its heating and cooking requirements.

The hotel's decision to proceed with an LPG power supply was based on the inherent reliability, versatility and cost effectiveness of the fuel. Tylney Hall has 110 guest rooms, and for most of the year the hotel is fully booked, with its extensive conference facilities and award winning restaurant attracting guests from all around the UK. Tylney Hall prides itself on delivering the highest levels of customer service, and so an energy solution which ensured a completely reliable supply, but which was also cost effective and with low maintenance costs was paramount.

Calor advised that the power requirements of Tylney Hall would be most reliably and efficiently met through the installation of a convection heating system, with a separate, stand alone hot water system using a direct fired boiler. The flexibility of independent systems for hot water and heating has proved to be an extremely efficient and cost effective way for the hotel to provide a continuous hot water supply, without the need for the heating system to be running.

Sean Spencer, Tylney Hall's deputy general manager commented: "We spent a lot of time assessing the different energy options available to Tylney Hall, and finally decided that an LPG system afforded the most benefits. Calor designed a comprehensive energy solution which not only provides a reliable supply of hot water and heat to the hotel, but also full services to those building sited away from the main hotel complex."

Tylney Hall has gained a reputation for the very high standards of its cuisine, and its award winning restaurant is a testament to the skill and dedication of the catering staff. At certain times in the day, the hotel's kitchen may have to cater for up to 200 people, providing them with cuisine from a varied menu. As Tylney Hall uses Calor to power its catering operations, it can rely upon a consistent power supply. All the benefits, such as instant ignition, controllability and efficiency, which make gas the preferred fuel of professional chefs throughout the world, are also enjoyed by the chefs and catering staff at Tylney Hall.

Sean Spencer added: "Calor planned and installed the optimum number of bulk tanks to meet our requirements, siting them discreetly within the hotel's grounds. Our tanks are topped up once a week and Calor closely monitors our levels of consumption to ensure an adequate supply. The entire installation was completed in under two weeks and during this period the hotel remained fully operational.

"Tylney Hall has now been using Calor for over 10 years, and Calor has always maintained excellent levels of service. The system has proved to be extremely cost effective and efficient, and we have certainly benefited from the reliability and low servicing costs of our system. By working closely with Calor, we have an energy solution which not only meets our present demands, but which is also adaptable enough to cater for any future developments of Tylney Hall's facilities."