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Please find below and attached a story about a luxury B&B on the outskirts of Exeter that is boosting its green credentials and its profits by installing further green energy measures. I've also included images with captions in the file names.

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James Reddy/ PR and Communications
Raise your profile. Drive forward your business.
M 07967 835947, W www.jamesreddy.co.uk, Ejames@jamesreddy.co.uk
61 Farm Hill, Exeter, EX4 2LW


RELEASE DATE: 16 January 2014

Luxury Exeter bed and breakfast on road to 100% sustainability

Biomass boosts Larkbeare Grange's green credentials and brings £6k in benefits per year

Luxury bed and breakfast Larkbeare Grange near Exeter is well on its way to becoming completely self-sufficient in terms of its energy needs after having a state-of-the-art pellet biomass boiler.

Charlie and Julia Hutchings - who own the stunning country house in Talaton, near Exeter - were taken aback by how much money the boiler would save the business each year and also how dramatically it would reduce the business's carbon footprint. The business will receive more than £4,500 in commercial Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments and save almost £1,500 on its fuel bills each year.

The system was installed by local company SunGift Energy, who also fitted a 4 kWp solar PV system for them two years ago.

"What a difference our biomass boiler has made," said Charlie, "and it's already dramatically improved the way we heat many of our rooms. Last year we were cautious about running our heating for too long, as the oil for our previous boiler was very expensive, but now we can keep our heating running whenever we want, we have constant hot water, and the house and the guest rooms are kept warm and cosy at all times. For any bed and breakfast business, offering maximum comfort for guests while keeping overheads as low as possible is critically important, and our biomass boiler now plays a central role in making this possible."

Before designing their bespoke system, SunGift sent one of its specialist surveyors to Larkbeare Grange to carry out detailed heat loss calculations, to work out the size of boiler that would be needed.

"The boiler has been designed to grow with our expansion plans," added Charlie. "We've got planning permission to add a detached cottage to our grounds, so it has the capacity to provide space heating and hot water for that too when it is built."

Six year payback - followed by 14 more years of RHI payments
SunGift designed and specified a 60 kW Windhager pellet boiler scheme, which took just two weeks to install. Thanks to fuel cost savings and RHI payments, the payback time for the boiler is just over six years, and the estimated profit over 20 years compared to running an oil boiler is more than £80,000. What's more, the boiler will reduce Larkbeare Grange's carbon footprint by 15 tonnes per year.

"This boiler is an excellent solution for Larkbeare Grange and other similar businesses," said Mark Howard, SunGift's biomass design engineer, "as it requires the least storage space of any biomass system, is the easiest biomass fuel to handle, and requires the least user intervention. What's more, the boiler has been designed and manufactured by Windhager, a company that not only has one of the world's strongest heritages in biomass systems but also has 85 years' experience producing high-quality boilers."

Thanks to the combination of the house's biomass boiler and its 4 kWp solar PV system (which helps power all of the business's utilities and machines during the day), Larkbeare Grange is now well on its way to become self-sufficient in terms of its energy needs. In addition to its renewable energy systems, Larkbeare Grange also takes all of its environmental responsibilities seriously, conserving energy where possible, shopping locally, reducing waste and water use to a minimum, using non-phosphate cleaning materials, and providing free-of-charge bicycles for guests.

Charlie added: "SunGift have been a pleasure to have on site. The work they've carried out has been of the highest quality, every job has been done with exceptional care and consideration, and they've left the place spotless. At Larkbeare Grange we pride ourselves on providing first-rate accommodation and giving our guests exceptional customer service, so it's refreshing to find another business that takes the same pride in their work."

-Ends-

Notes to editors

About Larkebear Grange's system
Larkbear Grange's system includes:

• A 60 kW Winhager pellet boiler
• Full design
• Installion of the boiler and a 1,500 litre accumulator
• Built-in 7.2 tonne fuel store
• 30-metre heat main to the house
• Full commissioning of the system
• Full user training

Quick stats
System: 60 kW Windhager pellet boiler system
Annual Estimated Earnings: £6,078
Payback period: 6.1 years
Total profit over 20 years: £84,516
Return on investment (per annum): 16.4%
Carbon savings (per annum): 15 tonnes

About SunGift Energy

SunGift Energyis a renewable energy specialist that offers a personal design service and tailored systems to meet its customers' exact requirements. It fits a whole range of renewable energy technologies - from solar panels and ground-source heat pumps to biomass boilers and small wind turbines.

Formed in 2005 by owner Gabriel Wondrausch, the friendly Exeter-based company employs 30 members of staff, and was one of the first installers in Devon to be accredited to the government's microgeneration scheme. SunGift Solar is acclaimed by the industry, winning the2011and2009 South West Green Energy AwardforRenewable Energy Installer or Supplier of the Year, and finishing runner up in the same category in 2010 and 2012.

Using the highest-quality systems is an important part of SunGift Energy's philosophy, and it constantly strives to use the latest, cutting-edge equipment, combined with the highest standards of workmanship.

For further information contact SunGift Solar on 01392 213912, or visitwww.sungiftsolar.co.uk.