Hot tubs powered by heat pumps … Ideal Heating helps award-winning glampsite go green

An award-winning glampsite in East Yorkshire has reduced its carbon footprint thanks to heat pumps supplied by Hull-based Ideal Heating.

Wold Escapes now has seven of Ideal’s heat pumps providing low carbon energy for its cabins and their private hot tubs, while cutting electricity bills significantly.

Ideal teamed up with installer Finesse Plumbing & Heating Engineers to deliver a bespoke heating solution for Wold Escapes, helping the business become more sustainable, reduce ongoing energy costs and improve the visitor experience.

Ideal’s Logic Air heat pumps have brought significant environmental and operational benefits for Wold Escapes, which is in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds.

Wold Escapes Manager Georgina Renfrew said: “As a company, we’re always looked for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We’ve already installed solar panels on the roof of our main building, so adding heat pumps is another step forward to becoming a more sustainable business.

“If we want to keep growing and expanding, we cannot afford to increase our carbon footprint. We need to continue to take proactive steps to reduce our environmental impact.

“We now have Ideal air source heat pumps installed at each of the glamping cabins, which not only power the inside of the cabin, but also the hot tub. It’s proven much faster to heat the hot tubs and is a real game-changer for us.

“We tend to find a lot of our guests are environmentally conscious. They love to go off walking or cycling, and I think, as a society, we’re much more aware now of our actions. Guests love that we’ve got the heat pumps and the feedback we’re getting already has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Located near Driffield, in East Yorkshire, Wold Escapes won Remarkable Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year at the 2024 REYTAs (Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards).

The business is committed to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint, providing luxurious experiences with a low environmental impact.

Before the heat pump installation, Wold Escapes had electric heaters providing warmth to each cabin. Hot tubs were powered by a built-in heating element and were much slower to reach the desired temperature after being turned off for cleaning.

It meant, on occasions, the Wold Escapes team found it difficult to get hot tubs cleaned and ready for guests arriving on the same day as previous visitors had checked out.

The Logic Air heat pumps have solved that issue and proven much more efficient at powering the hot tubs.

Ideal is the UK industry leader in heating solutions, with an ever-growing presence in the heat pump market.

Jon Hudson, Senior Sales Manager at Ideal Heating, said: “The installation at Wold Escapes demonstrates a remarkable application of heat pump technology to provide low carbon energy for hot tubs.

“Our heat pumps have delivered efficiency and sustainability benefits for the customer while transforming the visitor experience.

“The project also underlines the importance of the relationship between manufacturer and installer. Working closely with Finesse, we can supply high-quality and reliable heat pump solutions, with an unmatched level of customer support.”

The heat pump installation project was delivered by Finesse Plumbing & Heating Engineers, based just a few miles from Wold Escapes.

Murray Shanley, Managing Director of Finesse, said: “The installation exceeded expectations. Ideal’s support allowed us to adapt their product for this unique application and the result is a true eco-site.

“The heat pumps consume roughly a third of the electricity of the previous system, cutting costs significantly while delivering exceptional performance.”