We realised that renting out Drumlin Villa could be having a dramatic environmental impact on the Algarve. We are committed to reducing Drumlin Villa’s environmental footprint while continuing to provide an exceptional guest experience. Through innovative initiatives and active engagement with guests, the villa is on a journey towards a greener, more sustainable future. Two projects in particular have been our focus during the winter: a) Improving the hot water and heating system. b) Implementing Solar Panels and Batteries for electricity delivery. Originally, the Villa's water was heated using an antiquated gas boiler. This has subsequently been replaced with an energy efficient heat pump and 270l hot water tank. The heat pump utilises electricity to heat the water, so the second stage of our upgrades was to install solar photovoltaic panels, a hybrid inverter and batteries. This allows the Villa to be energy (electricity) independent during daylight hours and minimises our reliance on fossil fuels during the night. We hope by harnessing the abundant natural sunlight available, the villa will significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Our next focus will be water conservation. The Algarve is suffering from a significant problem with high water use and low water levels in reservoirs (see here for example). If you have ideas on how we might achieve water savings in the Villa please let us know. |
Nuala & MatthewWe fell in love with the Eastern Algarve a few years back. We'll try and impart our knowledge of the area and other travel tips via these blog posts. Categories
All
|