Set on 43 acres of beautiful parklands, The Cornwall Hotel is a landmark fixture of the local area, dating back to the early 19th century.
The 4-star hotel has seen many upgrades over the decades – from an extensive five-year restoration in 2005 to the addition of Scandinavian-inspired lodges and an infinity pool. In late 2024, Director Mark Rudrum decided the next project would be their most ambitious yet: a multi-equipment decarbonisation upgrade to align day-to-day operations with the hotel’s long-term sustainability goals.
The solution
Early in the planning phase, Mark knew he was interested in using a £0 upfront Smart Ease Payment Plan to fund the decarbonisation project. Doing so would allow The Cornwall Hotel to invest in the best possible technology without having to deplete its own capital reserves.
Another advantage of working with Smart Ease was access to our network of expert installers. Smart Ease works with the UK’s best installers of commercial energy-efficiency equipment and, after learning about the technical requirements of this project, recommended SRC Northwest to deliver the installation.
Project snapshot
Industry: Accommodation
Channel Partner: SRC Northwest
Solar system size: 629kW
Battery size: 230kWh
Equipment:
- 1044 x DAS Solar Panels
- 5 x Growatt Inverters
- 9 x Growatt Battery Modules
- 3 x Project EV EV chargers
Payment Plan term: 5 years
The first technical consideration was the heritage overlay on The Cornwall Hotel’s icon main manor. This ruled out the building for solar PV suitability. The second option to put multiple solar arrays on the individual lodges was also ruled out due to high costs.
After assessing all options, a ground-mounted system on a patch of unused land behind the hotel was the preferred, most cost-effective approach.
However, even this approach was almost ruled out when a mandatory topographic survey found the remains of a small village buried underneath the area!
Thankfully, after getting a greenlight from an archaeological team, the SRC Northwest team led, by Ryan Green, was able to commence installation of the solar system in April 2025.
According to Ryan, even this part of the process came with its fair share of challenges:
“There was probably 150 metres between the array and the switch room near the car park. So we had to run cable for that distance and dig trenches through a forest. It was on a steep incline too, so we had to hold on to the trees and hoist ourselves up as we went. It was hard work!”
The win
The entire installation was completed in under three months. The final result is a 629kW solay system integrated with a 230kWh solar battery and three EV chargers.
In its first year, the system is estimated to save The Cornwall Hotel a whopping £104,254 in energy costs. These savings significantly outweigh the cost of Smart Ease repayments, making the project cash-flow positive from day one.
The Cornwall Hotel’s journey shows that even the most technically challenging sites can embrace clean energy with the right funding and expertise. Enabled by Smart Ease and SRC Northwest, the project proves that decarbonisation isn’t just possible – it’s commercially rewarding. For other businesses, it’s a powerful example of how to turn ambitious sustainability goals into practical, profitable outcomes.
Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our Payment Plans can help you generate solar savings