Black Sail Youth Hostel

Black Sail is one of the UK’s most iconic and remote Youth Hostels; an isolated shepherd’s bothy at the head of Ennerdale in the Lake District, accessible only on foot. Although it has no mains services connections, its facilities include a self-catering kitchen (with gas cooker and traditional larder) and a shared dining room, lounge and drying room.

LEDA provided the sustainability and energy study aspects of a full Feasibility Study for renovating the hut. The brief was to ensure minimal impact on the surrounding landscape whilst providing a reliable facility in extreme conditions.  The study included 4kW hydro turbine installation fed from a nearby mountain stream, PV and solar panels and log boiler, as well as a sustainable strategy for water supply and drainage.  LEDA provided a detailed proposal and then took forward the detailed design and followed by full building services design for the refurbishment.

A limited client budget meant that the hydro installation has not been included in the refurbishment project; however, the PV and solar thermal installations are installed along with wood stove and back-boiler. Carefully calculated electrical loads, together with new LED lighting and a limited 3amp ring mains keep electrical loads to a minimum, maximising the PV use.

Client:	Youth Hostel Association of England and Wales
Services Provided:	Feasibility study, Heat Mapping, Supply plant detailed design, Heat Network design, M&E Design, Metering Systems, Architectural Services
Dates:	Completed Summer 2013
Contract Value:	Approximate construction value £250,000
Technologies and Unique Features:	Small scale hydro, PV, Solar thermal, Log stove, Hot water