Sustainability Matters

One thing I would like to see is an update on the electricity metering trial and what the thoughts are on it being rolled out across the network and by when? 

I am not sure I see much evidence of solar panels being used on toilet blocks and other buildings on Club sites. What is the thinking on this?

When looking to buy new campsites how much  attention does the Club pay to sites near to public transport or within easy and safe walking of a town or village? (I I define easy and safe as being within a distance of between half and one mile and along a path rather than a road)

David

Composters! Some sites may well have then but I can’t say I’ve come across any on our travels and we’ve used quite a few club sites. On our current tour, admittedly not in the UK but that should not matter in this context, we have come across several. One site even handed you a small green bin with a label showing what was permissible and folk were using them, rather than adding the allowed items to landfill.

"I am not sure I see much evidence of solar panels being used on toilet blocks and other buildings on Club sites. What is the thinking on this?"

i have just recently spent time on a commercial site that is now 95% self sufficient for their electricity needs using solar panels. For many years now the site has used solar panels to heat the indoor swimming pool.

I am sure the capital outlay must be substantial and the site is lucky in that they have available free space for their own solar farm, but i am sure the owners will have done the sums and thought the capital outlay going forward would be a good investment.

I have solar panels, cost £5k some 10 years ago, i believe today the cost is less, so surely their must be some mileage in putting solar panels on the roof of the facilities block as a starter.

How about being able to choose to delete electric hook up for those who are self sufficient for power? with a discount of course

Electric mowers ? also a quieter option. Heat pumps, solar etc presumably all being explored?

I guess there is a limit cost wise where business sustainability meets environmental sustainability although the greener options are becoming relatively cheaper as take-up accelerates.

I wonder if the cost is going down very much in view of the price of energy costs going up?

The price of solar panels halved around 12 years ago, when the FIT payments went down which just goes to show how much electrical companies must have been making on fitting them!  In view of energy costs going up in the last couple of years, perhaps they have gone back up again as many companies seek to make as much profit as they can, when they can, as we found during Covid with the PPE scandal.

Personally, I am all for sites trying to minimise their costs with solar panels and in vew of the number of CMHC sites, perhaps they could negotiate a good deal if they used the same company.

Not all sites would be suitable for PV panels, could be too many trees, and it would also  depend on which way the roofs faced, unless the panels could be freestanding, but  there is certainly scope on several sites.  I have seen a few sites with them.

The cost has gone up a bit again since 10 years back, but I would think it would still be a good investment.  Small wind turbines could also be considered.

Think the club has missed a’ P’ out PROFIT

Hi David, thank you very much for your questions.

The metering trial began in May 2023 and will continue until April 2024. Due to the start date of the trial we currently only have data for the warmer months and are waiting to analyse the data over the winter. So far we have found that there has been a large percentage decrease in the amount of electricity used by those staying on site which has meant an increase in cost savings for those taking part in the trial. We will update this further once the months get colder. 

The Club is also actively installing Solar PV onto facility block roofs when we carry out major developments or when it makes sense to do so. Currently, we have 12 sites with Solar PV but this number continues to rise. 

We have recently installed a larger array of solar at our Brighton site and once we have analysed the performance we hope to do a wider rollout to more sites. 

Our needs for Solar are complex due to the peaks and troughs of energy usage. Most of our energy usage is in the morning or evening while the energy is generated during the day when our members are out and about. Due to this, we need to optimise the solutions to ensure we can store enough energy and those staying on our Club Campsites can use it when needed. 

We are also currently designing a solution for Hillhead which is different from many of our sites due to the large entertainment complex with bar, shop, restaurant, and swimming pool. 

Regarding new Club Campsites, we work on a set of criteria and score locations that we review (we see many each month). The criteria includes access roads, public transport, cycling and walking routes, access to a village, town, or pub as well as being close to key popular tourist attractions but this is only to name a few as many different criteria are looked at and scored on.

If you have any other questions take a look at our FAQs and sustainability hub.

Hi Steve, great question. We have looked into composting but composting waste can be complex. The Club works with our waste management provider and within the local authority guidelines which varies from site to site, however, to keep things simple we offer the same waste and recycling processes to our members across the network with the variance in how it is picked up and processed.

Composting is complicated as we have to consider the environment around us and any impact that may have on our members' stay, it's an area we will review on-site and with our waste partners to understand what more can be done safely. It’s easier to manage on a single household basis rather than a location with multiple visitors to the site due to contamination and the amount collected. 

In 2022, our diversion to landfill rate was 97.2% meaning only 2.8% of the waste generated on our sites ended up in landfill. We are working with our waste providers to reduce this even further. 

If you have any other questions please remember to check our FAQs and sustainability hub.

These are some really good points and areas the Club is looking into. The Club is actively installing Solar PV onto facility block roofs when we carry out major developments or when it makes sense to do so. Currently, we have 12 sites with Solar PV but this number continues to rise. 

Our needs for Solar are complex due to the peaks and troughs of energy usage. Most of our energy usage is in the morning or evening while the energy is generated during the day when our members are out and about. Due to this we need to optimise the solutions to ensure we can store enough energy and sites can use it when needed. 

We are also currently designing a solution for Hillhead which is different to many of our sites due to the large entertainment complex with bar, shop, restaurant and swimming pool. 

If you have any other questions please remember to check our FAQs and sustainability hub.