Radisson’s Net-Zero Experiment: How it Kept Costs Even
Photo Credit: Radisson's 'net zero' hotel in Manchester runs on renewable energy. Radisson
Skift Take
The people behind Radisson's net zero hotel project were worried that electrifying the building would result in higher energy bills. One year on, the costs are roughly the same and the hotel is ready for incoming regulations.
One year after opening its net-zero hotel in Manchester, Radisson says the property has matched its pre-conversion energy costs and that profit targets remain the same.
The hotel, formerly a Park Inn, was fully electrified as part of its conversion and rebrand to Radisson. Developers replaced gas boilers with four industrial heat pumps and converted the kitchen from gas to induction. They removed all fossil fuels from the building's direct operations.
Typically, a heat pump, which runs on electricity, might use 1 unit of electricity to generate 3 to 4 units of heat energy. The initial concern was that energy costs could rise because electricity costs up to four times more than gas.
The building itself is relatively modern — just 15 years old — so energy leakage wasn’t an issue, and the lighting was already efficient.
The building also did not require major w
