Harburn Golf Club
Pioneering Energy Efficiency in the Recreational and Sports Sector: Forward Thinking by Harburn Golf Club
Harburn Golf Club’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship
Situated a short distance west of Edinburgh in West Calder, Harburn Golf Club has an 18 hole heathland golf course which can trace its origins back to 1925 and one of the best golf courses in West Lothian, alongside superb onsite restaurant partner, Bistro19 whose quality is recognised throughout the region.
After consulting with several companies for solar PV and energy diverter installation, Kingsway Electrical was chosen to help achieve their aim of improving sustainability, and starting Harburn’s journey to becoming energy independent.
By installing the solar PV systems alongside the energy diverter, Harburn Golf Club have achieved a degree of energy independence. This allows the club to use excess solar energy generated during the day to heat the hot water, reducing reliance on grid electricity, cutting energy costs, and reducing carbon emissions.
The system contributes to the overall efficiency of the club’s operations by providing a reliable, clean energy source. The installation in this project is being used to power clubhouse facilities, to charge golf carts, and maintenance equipment, and is providing a degree of energy independence and resilience which delivers smooth operations with minimal environmental impact.
Applying solar technology to a golf club setting is an innovative approach that can serve as a model for other recreational facilities to follow. It showcases how renewable energy can be integrated into diverse environments beyond typical commercial or residential settings.
The project also serves as an educational tool, highlighting the benefits of solar energy and encouraging others to consider similar initiatives. We have already seen positive interaction on Harburn Golf Club’s social media when announcing the installation about how progressive the club is.
Key takeaways
- Utilisation of available roof space to harness renewable energy to supply the building.
- 98 solar panels for a combined output of 40.18 KW.
- Estimated Annual Energy Generation of 33,444 KWh.
- Estimated Annual Self-consumption of 32%.
- Annual estimated bill reduction of 24.97%.
- Annual Co2 savings of 8.5 tons equivalent to 1,597 Trees.
“After a report commissioned by the Board of the Golf Club we established that the environmental impact of our clubhouse was not good. As we have no mains gas to our property, we have to rely on electricity to power a commercial kitchen for a restaurant that has 4,000 covers a month, and our only option for heating was a kerosene boiler. Our electricity usage was over 150,000 kwh per annum.
We therefore requested funding from Levenseat Trust to help us with the cost of installing solar panels on our roof to generate 30% to 40% of our electricity usage. After a competitive tender we selected Kingsway Electrical Limited to install the panels and a power inverter.
I have been very happy with the service received from Kingsway prior to and during the installation and the hassle free manner in which the few problems that occurred after the installation had taken place, were dealt with. I consider the level of after sale support that a company provides as a true measure of that companies professionalism and commitment and from my experiences, I am absolutely confident that should any problems occur with our system, their response will be prompt and efficient. I would be more than happy to recommend Kingsway to anyone considering a Solar panel install and would like to thank them for making the whole process as hassle free as it could possibly have been.”
