Here at Overwater Hall we are committed to being considerate hoteliers, not only towards our guests and staff, but towards the environment as well.

As a consequence, we have published an environmental impact statement which details our current policies and our aspirations for the future, the main elements of which are;

From the 1st July 2007, we will not accept delivery of any food items packed in polysterene or plastic boxes. Only wood, paper, cardboard or other recyclable packaging will be acceptable.

We currently recycle glass, paper, cardboard, metals and kitchen vegetable matter.

We avoid purchasing products that have been imported by aeroplane.

We source food items locally wherever possible.

We use low energy light bulbs and other energy saving devices where appropriate.

All bedrooms have thermostatically controlled radiators, and complete loft insulation.

In April 2006 we installed a biomass boiler. This 100kw state-of-the-art boiler replaced our old oil-fired boiler and burns carbon-neutral wood chip.Unwanted off-cuts of wood are locally sourced, transported a short distance to the hotel and chipped on-site.

Once the wood has been chipped into the newly-built bunker, which holds 10 tons of chips, the process becomes fully automatic. Our new environmentally-friendly fuel provides all of the hotel's hot water and heating needs for the whole year.

In June 2007 we received planning consent to erect a 15kw wind turbine. This will be sited within the hotel's grounds, but invisible from the hotel itself. The turbine will not be able to provide all of the hotel's electricity needs, but it will make a substantial contribution. Our base load requirement for fridges, freezers and lighting will easily be met, and excess power will be put back into the grid.