Eco-friendly
Being Eco-friendly, sustainability – a state of mind and way of life
Operating in an eco-friendly way and sustainability is really important to us here at Broadgate Farm Cottages, in offering a 5 star luxury holiday experience we ensure that we are kind to our environment. Our main aim is your comfort and enjoyment, we know that we can achieve this in a green/eco way. We don’t just want to have minimal impact on the environment but we also look to improve and create an overall positive inpact by what we do.
Energy Efficiency
Reducing our carbon footprint without compromising your luxurious stay
We select energy-efficient options for all equipment, use renewable technologies and install eco light bulbs, all we ask is that you try to help by turning off lights and TV sets etc when not required and turning the thermostats down a degree or two if you are going to be out for the day.
Over the past 18 months we have been on a quest to reduce our bought in energy consumption and we have made some impressive reductions. It is amazing how much small changes can make a major impact. Things like tweaks to how we programme our timers so that they make maximum use of the free electricity our solar panels generate, managing the thermostats more proactively on changeover days and hanging more laundry to dry.
We have also changed our electricity contract to a zero carbon option so making a major reduction in carbon footprint.
Wildlife
Surrounded by nature we do all we can to create the right wildlife habitats
Surprisingly when we bought the farm it was a wildlife dead spot – we set about creating an environment to attract wildlife . We put up over 30 bird boxes including Owl boxes, installed feeders and planted woodland. Our reward is the wealth of wildlife that now surrounds us including our nesting Barn Owls who live right next door to the Cart House.
We have so many different species of birds from buzzards and sparrow hawks to robins and goldfinches. Spring sees an invasion of swallows and starlings as they nest in the surrounding out buildings. A few cheeky foxes can sometimes be spotted or maybe even a deer or two, pheasants live here in peace safe from any of the surrounding shoots.
We supply each cottage with a pair of binoculars and a wildlife book so you can enjoy a bit of wildlife spotting from your cottage
Toasty cottages with eco-friendly heating
Relax in the comfort of our wonderful cottages
All our cottages are heated by ground source heat pumps, we committed to these renewable technologies long before incentives were offered and installed our first in 2009. As we developed more cottages we added more and now have 4 – all from one of the few UK manufacturers of heat pumps, Kensa. These heat pumps take heat from under the fields surrounding the cottages and ensure that all the cottages are cosy for your stay, all the cottages have full central heating most of it is underfloor but a few rooms in the Forge and Stables use radiators.
You don’t really need to use the log burners but it is sometimes nice to settle down in front of a roaring fire. All your heating is included in the price you pay including logs for the fire (sustainably sourced from local managed woodlands and well seasoned) and if you need more logs there is a big pile in the recycling area so just help yourself!
Ground source heat pumps use some electricity so we have installed our own on site electricity generation – tucked away on one of the barns a large array of solar PV panels, we use over 95% of everything we generate. Read about our renewable technologies
Insulation and build quality
High specification to reduce heat losses and carbon footprint
There is little point using renewable technologies if you are wasting much of the heat you generate. Whilst you are staying in characterful period barns they have all been converted to the highest standards. We have used higher levels of wall, floor and ceiling insulation than normally specified, air tightness tests have ensured that we loose a little of the heat we generate as possible. Modern plumbing installations ensure that water efficiency is achieved without compromising the guests’ experience.
Of course we use low energy lighting and we supplement this with timers for the exterior lighting and the use of sensor bulbs that react when dusk falls. All our appliances are energy efficient. Please help us by turning off when you go out.
Eco- friendly hot water system
Mains pressure showers and lovely modern bathrooms
The hot water for your cottage is provided mainly by the ground source heat pumps but we do also have solar thermal heating the water as well on some of the cottages. It is amazing how hot the solar panels heat the water, even on a sunny winters day the solar panels do their bit.
The water is timed and can easily be adjusted if needed.
Because it is a sustainable eco – friendly system all the cottages have a highly insulated water tank, the tank is large enough for normal use but it may sometimes be necessary to allow time for the water to reheat if you use all the hot water. Our showers are all mains pressure and most cottages have a bath as well, see the individual cottage details.
Recycle, Re-use and Repair
We aim to recycle as much as possible
We have a very extensive recycling programme, it’s not compulsory but we know that most guests are keen to recycle as they do at home. For many of our guests recycling has become a way of life so we have a recycling centre with colour coded bins. We do also re-sort the general waste bins to ensure that we recycle as much as we can which is over 70% of all waste produced. We now recycle food waste as well.
Many items can be re-purposed, so if something has plenty of life left in it we aim to spruce it up, bring it up to date and give it a new lease of life. Just as we have done with these old farm buildings. Having a builder on site helps with the repairs – we try to repair all that we can.
When we renovated the cottages we reused all the old bricks and roof tiles to maintain the character of the buildings, we used lots of natural materials included the cherry wood or oak window sills that were grown here on the farm.
Think Local
We buy as much as we can locally & encourage guests to support local businesses
We buy from local Yorkshire companies as much as we can – and it is not just Yorkshire produce in your welcome pack. We work hard to source as much as we can from local craftsmen and suppliers, the beds with mattresses full of natural materials are made in West Yorkshire.
Where we can’t source locally we use eco-friendly sustainable solutions and FAIRTRADE products.
There is so much to do in the area, guests don’t have to travel miles for a day out and we have a comprehensive guide to activities in the area so you can see just what is on the doorstep. You can walk from the cottages to the village pubs or the 1.7 miles into Beverley, catch the bus or take advantage of the cycle path that passes the cottages.
Carbon offset
Exploring how you can offset your carbon footprint
Whilst we are doing all we can to reduce our carbon footprint some guests may like to look at carbon offsetting.
Look at Make It Wild you can buy your own personal carbon offset not just for your break at Broadgate Farm Cottages but for all your activities