A multi-award winning eco house with self-catering accommodation in Snowdonia is adding accolades to its growing list of honours.
Bryn Elltyd Eco House at Tanygrisiau, near Blaenau Ffestiniog has been shortlisted as a Green Infrastructure Project of the Year finalist in the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2021. It has also been recommended in the inaugural Great Electrifying.com Getaway Awards which honour attractions in the UK with electric car charging facilities.
The BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2021 will be held at The Brewery in London on September 22. The Green Infrastructure Project of the Year category is open to any infrastructure project that aims to curb environmental impacts while delivering state of the art services to the public.
Bryn Elltyd is competing against four national businesses in the category which covers smart grid, smart city, public transport, water infrastructure and or ecosystem services and natural capital initiatives.
The judges look for projects that have taken clear steps to prioritise environmental performance and deliver the green infrastructure projects that will be critical to the development of a genuinely sustainable, net zero emission economy.
John and Celia Whitehead, owners of Bryn Elltyd Eco House, were pioneers in Wales to install three electric vehicle charging points in 2012 as motorists began to invest in electric or hybrid cars. They are proud that Bryn Elltyd is one of the few places in the country where cars can recharge with green electricity.
Powered completely by renewable energy since 2013, Bryn Elltyd Eco House offers carbon neutral and Visit Wales graded self-catering, sleeping between five and 11 guests.
All electric used at the property is either made on site or from 100% UK renewables, with two hydro stations within 200 metres.
The Great Electrifying.com Getaway Awards recognise the best places to visit in the UK with excellent electric car charging facilities.
Bryn Elltyd Eco House is recommended in the Places to Stay or Eat category, while Aberystwyth is recognised in the Beside the Seaside category. Aberystwyth has three 50kW rapid chargers, a decent quota of 7kW points and a new six bay Tesla Supercharger site.
To qualify for the awards, each location must have at least two Type 2 charge connections and a rapid charger within striking distance. The awards pinpoint outstanding electric car friendly destinations, with five winners across five categories.
Bryn Elltyd Eco House has developed from a 1883 granite building, 700ft up in Snowdonia to become an example how businesses can reduce their carbon footprint.
The property offers three self-catering bedrooms rooms within the main house and two bedrooms in detached buildings.
“We have had solar panels since 1983 and a passion for greener, but still comfortable, living,” said John. “Running this unique business has helped us share our vision with others in a stunning Welsh landscape.
“Many organisations talk of climate change and reducing their carbon footprint, whereas we set a carbon neutral target for energy inputs and reached it. We are passionate about what we are trying to do here and embrace new technology.”
The Whiteheads, both qualified teachers, moved to Tanygrisiau from Coventry 15 years ago, drawn by their love of the great outdoors and the Welsh mountains.
Bryn Elltyd punches well above its weight with its Green credentials. The business was an early pioneering member of Green Tourism, has twice won Considerate Hotelier Awards and achieved the Green Tourism Gold Standard and Green Dragon Environment Standard.
The Whiteheads are long-standing members of MWT Cymru, an independent organisation representing more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses in Powys, Ceredigion and the Meirionnydd region of Gwynedd.
