Nod Pod Hotel

Green Flare has designed and installed a renewable heating system for Nod Pod Hotel, comprising two air-source heat pumps.

LOCATION

Bristol

HEAT PUMP

Stiebel Eltron

COP

4.32

Overview

Nod Pod Hotel approached Green Flare to design, install, and maintain a renewable heating system for its accommodation pods near Bristol Airport, supporting a more efficient and future-ready approach to heating.

With guest comfort, hot water performance and long term-reliability all key considerations, the system was carefully designed to suit the needs of the site and the day-to-day demands of hospitality accommodation. Green Flare delivered the project from design through to installation, with ongoing maintenance support to help ensure lasting performance as the site continues to grow.

Technology

The owners of Nod Pod Hotel were looking for a low-carbon, modular hot water solution to serve their pod hotel, which is made up of modular shipping container-style units. Each unit contains two guest rooms, with every room including a double bed and an ensuite shower room. The site launched with two units and has been designed with future expansion in mind, with plans to grow to a total of 24 rooms.

To meet these requirements, Green Flare installed two Stiebel Eltron WPL-A 07 air source heat pumps connected to two SBB 401 Sol glass-lined hot water cylinders. This set-up was selected to provide a reliable supply of hot water for guests, while also offering fast recovery times to suit the changing demands of a hospitality environment. By combining efficient renewable heating technology with a system designed for scalability, the installation supports both the current needs of the hotel and its long-term development plans.

The system also benefits from remote monitoring, allowing performance to be tracked off-site and faults to be identified quickly. In some cases, issues can be diagnosed and resolved without the need for a site visit, helping to reduce disruption and support ongoing reliability for the client.

Challenges

One of the main challenges on the project was the available space for the external plant. There was no usable area directly outside the pods, so the heat pumps had to be carefully positioned within a courtyard at a lower level than the accommodation units. To make this possible, the units were mounted on gallows brackets, allowing the system to be installed securely despite the constraints of the site layout.

This required a practical design approach that balanced performance, access and space efficiency, while still delivering a solution that aligned with the client’s low-carbon goals. By working around the physical limitations of the site, Green Flare was able to provide a renewable heating system that supports guest comfort today and can continue to serve the hotel as it expands.