Successful partnership delivers 10 new CHPs for major hotel chain

When a leading energy services provider, based in Germany, was supporting a major chain of hotel owners in the UK, it was the beginning of a new partnership for Centrica Business Solutions.

Centrica Business Solutions previously installed a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit at one of the hotels that the energy services provider was supporting. The energy services provider reached out to Centrica Business Solutions to identify the best way of integrating the CHP into their wider energy strategy.

After a number of conversations, it was identified that there were a number of synergies between the energy services provider and Centrica Business Solutions. The hotel chain that the energy services provider was working with had a significant need for new CHPs; and Centrica Business Solutions had more than 35 years of experience installing and commissioning new CHPs, often within the hotel industry. 

A new partnership was established – with Centrica Business Solutions installing new CHPs into the hotel chain, on behalf of the energy services provider.

A full turnkey solution

After initially discussing just 1 hotel, 10 hotels were ultimately identified as requiring a new CHP from Centrica Business Solutions, and a full turnkey solution was developed for these locations.

Centrica Business Solutions sized their CHP requirements within 3 weeks and set out comprehensive plans for the installations. The CHPs ranged from 125kW to 230kW in size, installed in a range of different locations in the hotels – from underground car parks; to rooftop plant rooms. 

A key priority was to make sure the installation process was as smooth as possible, and that the day-to-day operations of the hotels were not impacted during construction. To help with this, all 10 installations were managed by one project team – giving the energy services provider a single point of contact for any questions or issues, and allowing clear communications at all times. 

Since the energy services provider is based in Germany, the Centrica Business Solutions team also worked with them to ensure the whole process met all UK regulatory standards.

Optimising ongoing performance 

As part of this turnkey solution, Centrica Business Solutions also implemented a comprehensive Operations and Maintenance (O&M) service to manage the aftercare of the CHPs. This ensures that each installation continue to work at optimal performance throughout its lifetime and fulfils its potential for maximum productivity and cost savings.

With highly trained, qualified service engineers available nationwide, any issues can be proactively identified and resolved before impact is felt. Specific care is taken to ensure all service reports are clear and easily translatable into German.

After the successful delivery of all 10 CHPs, further opportunities are being explored for the energy services provider and Centrica Business Solutions to partner together again - with 20 additional hotels identified as requiring a new CHP.