Whitbread has opened its first all-electric Premier Inn hotel in Swindon, powered entirely by renewable electricity and without a connection to the mains gas supply.
The hotel features sustainable initiatives such as solar panels, an energy-efficient air-to-water heat pump, and low energy LED lighting with lighting controls.
Metering is connected to a battery monitoring system that auto monitors and targets energy use. The building meets BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards and employs Passivhaus-influenced design principles.
Whitbread plans to build all new Premier Inns without a mains gas supply from 2026, with a goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity across their entire estate by the same year. Over 800 Premier Inn properties will remove their mains gas supply by 2040.
This initiative showcases Whitbread’s commitment to sustainability and affordability while reducing direct operational emissions by over 50pc since 2016.
