Is this the future?

JD Wetherspoon is building a new

eco-friendly pub that could be the

blueprint for all its outlets. Nigel Huddleston visits to get a sneak preview

It's apt that a new pub using an array of green gadgetry to save on running costs, providing a blueprint for Wetherspoon's pubs of the future, should be built on the site of a former petrol station.

The Kettleby Cross is a new-build pub in the centre of the Leicestershire town of Melton Mowbray, and the company hopes the equipment and processes it installs there will help it reduce energy consumption by 50% in other pubs in the estate.

It is Wetherspoon's first project of this kind, and head of property Chris Large says what happens after it opens at the end of July will inform developments in their future builds and existing pubs.

Large says: "We probably only do one or two completely new builds a year, but this gives us the opportunity to test all the different sorts of energy-efficient items in one building."

He adds that the project - in the town's Wilton Road - is a natural evolution from other green initiatives across the company, in areas such as recycling.

"It really all started with work we did in our distribution centre and this is an extension of that. We've been doing a number of things there, and in our other pubs with recycling things like oil, paper and glass.

"Our goal is to reduce energy consumption - it's less to do with cost than the amount of energy used, because it's the right thing to do.

"The board believe that these sorts of issues have become much more relevant over the last couple of years and want to see us help things change."

Wetherspoon has already begun to install hi-tech taps in new openings, which it claims save 400 litres of water a day, while motor controllers on air-handling units have achieved energy savings of up to 27% at new pubs. Controls have also been introduced to reduce energy use on fridges and freezers.

Hi-tech approach

But the Kettleby Cross scheme will up the ante, effectively providing a test-bed for environmentally-friendly technology. "Obviously, we'll consider the results from this, and the most successful ones we'll utilise in the rest of our pubs," says Large. "But the technology is changing all the time and there will be other things that come along too."

"We'll be able to assess which pieces of equipment are most effective and install them in the existing estate, and, looking forward, put them into any new pubs."

Among the features is a wind turbine to supplement the mains grid electricity supply.

"This is not the sort of thing you can go and get from B&Q for your house," says Large. "It's a 60-foot-high turbine that we got planning permission for. It was surprisingly easy to obtain - there was a bit of debate in the council, but they saw it as a positive step."

There will also be a ground source heat pump, a gadget that draws water from underground bore holes to run under-floor heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, cutting that part of the energy bills by up to 75%.

Other features incorporated by architect RJD include: solar panels supplying a third of the pub's heating for water; double the legally required amount of insulation; evaporation coolers for the kitchen and public areas; low-energy light fittings and kitchen equipment; and photo-voltaic tiles that convert the sun's energy into electricity.

Price to pay

Perhaps the most ingenious piece of kit is a gadget that will recycle heat from the beer-cellar coolers and from the bottle fridges for use in heating the pub's water.

Of course, all this doesn't come cheap. Large declines to reveal the cost of the project, but says it is 20% above the cost of a "normal" new-build pub. Construction work started in December and the seven months build-time is fairly average.

He adds: "It is expensive but that has to be set against the savings in running costs. Also, there are grants available from the Government for some of this and we have got help from some of our suppliers in the costs of

the equipment."

Pub energy ratings

Some of the more rudimentary measures, such as energy-efficient light bulbs and reducing room temperatures have already been implemented at four Wetherspoon pubs in London and Bristol.

The company has taken advice from the Carbon Trust and the Green Consultancy on different ways to reduce its carbon footprint and its £16m of energy costs across the rest of its estate.

Large says: "We've energy rated all of our pubs and we're looking at which are the really poor performers [on energy efficiency] and we're really going to tackle them first." The project will be publicised through the chain's customer magazine.

"We're hoping that some of what we do will have an impact on our customers," says Large. "Hopefully, they'll look at things we've done and see what they could do at home."

Recycling: JDW's statistics

Wetherspoon recycles 1,000 tonnes of cooking oil, 2,800 tonnes of cardboard, 29,000 tonnes of glass, 4,000 tonnes of cans and plastic bottles, and 20 tonnes of bubble wrap, each year. It also de-brands used staff uniforms and sends them to Oxfam.

Material for recycling is collected by the same vehicles used to deliver products to pubs, which the company claims saves 30 million kilometres of lorry usage over using local recycling schemes.

Key elements of the Melton Mowbray green pub project

l Double the legal requirement on insulation

l Rainwater harvesting to provide water for flushing the toilets

l A turbine to harness wind energy

l Heat-pump boreholes to provide water for under-floor heating

l A thermal recovery wheel to recapture heat that's blown out of the building

l Energy expelled from cellar coolers and fridges used to heat the pub's water

l Low-energy lights and kitchen equipment

l Solar panels to heat water