Balancing Energy Efficiency and Guest Experience Without Compromise

Zeal Hotels was founded in 2012 with a clear ambition: to develop hotels that meaningfully reduce carbon emissions, not only in operation but across their entire lifecycle. That vision has now been realised in voco Zeal Exeter Science Park, the UK’s first net zero carbon hotel, developed in partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts and Valor Hospitality.

Opened in March 2025, the 142-bedroom hotel sets a new benchmark for sustainable hospitality. Designed to operate entirely on renewable and solar energy, it targets an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of below 55 kWh/m². Crucially, the building is energy positive, generating more energy annually than it consumes. In parallel, the construction achieves the RIBA 2030 embodied carbon target, with emissions of under 750 kgCO₂/m².

The hotel also forms part of a pilot for the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, contributing real-world performance data to help establish consistent definitions and metrics across the built environment in line with national 2050 targets.

Innovation in design and constructionSituated on a 5,000 m² site at Exeter Science Park, the hotel includes a restaurant, bar, conference and private dining facilities, gym, and electric vehicle and e-bike charging. Sustainability has shaped every aspect of its design.

The building follows Passivhaus principles, delivering exceptional thermal efficiency and airtightness. It uses adiabatic cooling and heat-reversible pumps to minimise reliance on traditional mechanical cooling systems. The façade features Solarlab vertical photovoltaic panels, the first UK installation of this technology used as rainscreen cladding. Low-carbon materials were also prioritised, including Ecocrete, which offers up to 85% lower CO₂ emissions than conventional cement.

As Zeal Hotels Founding Director Tim Wheeldon explains: “By harnessing renewable energy sources, implementing energy-efficient designs, and utilising innovative technology, we have created a space that prioritises environmental responsibility while still delivering comfort and quality.”

Balancing comfort and efficiencyAchieving net zero performance in hospitality presents a unique challenge. Hotels must maintain consistent guest comfort while managing highly variable occupancy and usage patterns. According to Dan Palmer, who oversees the hotel’s energy management, “We could always be more efficient, but there is a fine line between guest comfort and energy efficiency.”

This is where the Prefect Irus energy management system plays a central role. Unlike traditional building management systems, Irus provides room-by-room monitoring and analysis, allowing the team to understand how individual spaces perform in real-world conditions via the Irus Portal.

Dan highlights the importance of this granular visibility: “During extreme temperatures of 30 to 36°C, I can monitor how each room is performing and see exactly how the building is responding.” The system also enabled detailed analysis of solar gains, clearly showing temperature rises on the south-facing elevation as light levels increased.

When persistent hotspots were detected in certain rooms, Irus’ Investigator tool helped trace the issue to heat transfer from a boiler room below. The addition of an extractor fan resolved the problem quickly and efficiently.

The platform also supports the management of adiabatic cooling, using performance data to verify that ventilation rates, humidity control, and thermal conditions are operating as designed.

A platform for continuous improvementFor Zeal Hotels, data-driven insight underpins a culture of continuous optimisation. Irus enables ongoing refinement of heating and cooling profiles, boost times, and integration with wider BMS platforms such as Trend.

“We are measuring everything in this hotel – electricity, water – data is king,” says Dan. “With Irus, we have the evidence of what works, and that learning will inform future developments.”

By combining progressive building design with intelligent energy management, voco Zeal Exeter Science Park demonstrates how net zero hospitality can be achieved without compromising the guest experience, setting a powerful precedent for the wider industry.