Home   About us   Accommodation  Breakfast   Find us   Tariff & Booking   Environmental Policy   Location   Guest Comments Environmentally Led, Ethically Focussed Environmental Policy Energy Almost all internal and external lighting has been changed to low energy bulbs and fittings. Guests are requested to reduce consumption further by switching off lights and televisions when the bedrooms are not occupied. We try to minimise the use of the business vehicle as far as possible and combine trips with other purposes. In addition, home deliveries of products via local suppliers where available are arranged. Radiator thermostats are turned down to a low setting between guests. Guests are free to increase the setting if the room is too cold for them. It is better to increase the temperature in a room rather than have to reduce it by opening a window. Fresh linens are provided for each new guest and they are changed every 3 or 4 days for those on an extended visit. Guests that require a more or less frequent change are asked to let us know on arrival. Towels are changed at the same times as linens, however should a more frequent change be required guests are requested to leave the items to be replaced in the shower tray or wash basin. Where possible linens are dried and aired naturally in our utility room. If this is not possible we use special tensile balls in our tumble dryer, they help to soften linens and reduce drying time by up to 25%. Our new energy efficient tumble dryer has built in sensors to detect when linens are dry thereby preventing items from being over dried and saving energy. Our new energy efficient washing machine is triple A’ rated in regard to energy consumption, wash & spin performance. The Washing machine has a larger capacity drum; for example two wash cycles of the new machine can accomplish what would have taken 3-4 wash cycles in our old machine. Our new energy efficient dishwasher is triple A’ rated in regard to wash performance and energy & water consumption. As and when appliances have reached the end of their useful life and are deemed beyond economical repair only new energy efficient versions will be purchased. Chemical Usage/ Toiletries Washing of towels and linens only when necessary/requested thereby keeping detergent, energy and water usage to a minimum. The larger drum in our new Washing Machine has helped to cut our consumption of detergent & fabric softener by approximately 33%-50%. We use micro-fibre cloths when cleaning, this enables us to clean without using chemicals where possible. They require less detergent when being washed (66% less than a normal cloth) this is due to their composition. The use of sufficient cleaning chemicals to ensure cleanliness and hygiene standards whilst ensuring nothing is used to excess. When we have to use cleaning chemicals we use items that are 100% biodegradable and where possible phosphate free. All our cleaning chemicals are manufactured by SELDEN RESEARCH LIMITED in Buxton, Derbyshire who only use biodegradable surfactants. A copy of their environmental policy along with data analysis for products we use is available upon request to interested parties. Use of a steam cleaner to create a clean sterile environment without the use of chemicals. We have installed dispensers for Shower Gel & Hand wash which we refill as and when necessary. Re-Cycling & Composting Receptacles are provided for guest use on the ground floor for the recycling of newspapers & magazines, glass bottles, plastic bottles and cans. We are a “WASTE AWARE BUSINESS”, we serve butter, flora, home made marmalade & home made jam etc. in serving dishes as opposed to small pre-packed sealed portions. All corrugated and smooth cardboard is recycled, along with all items that cannot be composted on site. All plastic bottles/containers that can be recycled are firstly crushed and then taken to an appropriate recycling facility. When we have them, used plastic carrier bags are utilised in the waste bins in the bedrooms instead of new bags. All suitable kitchen & garden waste is composted. The reverse of printed notices are re-used for internal printing purposes or scrap paper. Envelopes are re-used where possible. As and when linens and other suitable fabrics have reached the end of their useful life they are taken to an appropriate recycling facility. Water Consumption Guests are encouraged to ensure that all taps are fully turned off thereby conserving this valuable resource. All guests are offered full en-suite non power shower facilities & water displacement devices have been installed in most toilet cisterns in an effort to save between 2 and 3 Litres per flush. Our new Dishwasher is A’ rated with regard to water consumption and uses on average 13 litres of water per cycle. Our new Washing Machine has built in sensors that enable it to detect how much water is needed for each individual wash load this helps to ensure water consumption is kept to a minimum. The larger drum in our new Washing Machine has helped to cut our consumption of water required to wash linens & towels by approximately 33%-50%. We only use the Dishwasher & Washing Machine when they are full thereby extracting maximum benefit from all water & energy used. Water butts are used to collect rain water to enable us to water plants, clean exterior surfaces, etc.. Procurement Supporting the local economy by using local suppliers and producers where possible. We try to use as much Organic and Fair Trade produce as possible. Purchasing of environmentally friendly concentrated cleaning chemicals in 5 Litre containers that can be diluted on site. Shower Gel & Hand wash are purchased in 5 Litre containers which we dispense into containers. When buying any item we consider how many environmental miles the product has travelled. We make a point of choosing products that have the least number of environmental miles. This helps us to support local & regional producers while helping to reduce carbon emissions. We try where possible to use businesses or companies with a published environmental policy. All toilet & kitchen rolls that we use are made from 100% recycled material. Home   About us   Accommodation  Breakfast   Find us   Tariff & Booking   Environmental Policy   Location   Guest Comments David & John, Overcombe House, Old Station Road, Horrabridge, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7RA Tel: 01822 853501      Fax: 01822 853602       Email us