This year, the wellness hotel Bel-Air in Echternach celebrated its 95th anniversary. The old building still relies on heating oil to warm both interior and the water in its pools.
However, latter has been defect since summer, reveals manager Stéphanie Hein: “We still haven’t received the parts to repair it, which, if I’m being honest, plays into out hands given the energy prices. The warm summer and the lack of energy consumed by the pool have really helped us keep down energy consumption.”
Heaters in the wellness area were switched off completely until the end of September. By now, heaters have to run again to maintain 23°C. One delivery of heating oil is enough to keep operations going for three to five weeks, which would be less if the pool were operative.
Similarly, the kitchen uses a lot of energy since the stoves run with gas. Grocery prices have also gone up, 50% to 100% in some cases, which forced management to react.
Hein elaborated: “The price of oil increased 50% to 60%, so we bought a pallet to get a better price. After all, we know that we need a lot, so it made sense.”
Hein also spoke about a need for both personnel and clients to cooperate when it comes to saving energy: “We try raising awareness among our clients so that they don’t open windows, close doors behind them, and don’t leave lights switched on. But still, we are a hotel. We cannot switch off all lights because that makes it look as though we are closed.”
The hotel is currently working with an energy consultant to assess if there are further ways of conserving energy. Parts of the building are to be renovated and made more energy-efficient. However, it still may take three to four years before works are completed, noted Hein.
