Sustainability and comfort
The holiday cottages, award winners for design and sustainability, are located in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The owners, Deborah and Steve Macken, have used their experience in renewable energy and adopted high standards of passive solar design, thermal efficiency and low energy operation. In addition to this, guests arriving in electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles are offered complimentary charging via four charge points on site.
A unique selling point
Following the purchase of their own electric vehicle (EV) in 2017, Deborah and Steve decided to invest in a home charger. A few months later, they successfully applied for a business charge point grant from Energy Saving Trust. The grant part funded the supply and installation of a charge point for the cottages. Two more charge points followed when the business became a Tesla Destination Charging Partner.
Environmental credentials
The cottages are holders of the Gold Award from Green Tourism UK and from a business strategy perspective, it made sense to tap into the emerging EV market. As EV ownership grows, a destination charging facility is a market differentiator when it comes to searching for overnight accommodation, whether for a longer holiday or short break. Guests use the charge points when they are in the cottages for part of the day, the evening or overnight, so it is very easy for them to relax and use their time as they wish. Now, approximately 10 per cent of their guests have EVs; some of these are repeat customers who love the ease and convenience of charging on site.
“Our guests love starting their day exploring the delights of Loch Lomond, central Scotland and beyond with a full battery and the knowledge they can charge, for free, while they sleep.”
Deborah and Steve Macken
East Cambusmoon accessed business charge point grant funding from Energy Saving Trust to help with the cost of installation. Funding support for tourism businesses may also be available in 2020-21.
Get in touch
For more information call 0800 0931 669