behind the Brew Issue 3

The Sustainable Pub
Of The Future
Chris Sladen, head of Property, Star Pubs & Bars, talks about the roadmap for making all pubs
in our estate sustainable by 2030.
Investing in a sustainable future for our pubs
We’ve teamed up with sustainability consultants, Carbon Architecture,
to establish where our carbon footprint is now and to plan a roadmap
for the future.
Last year, we ran a pilot in six Just Add Talent (JAT) managed pubs
to see how energy efficient measures affected their carbon footprint,
water usage and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, due to COVID we
were unable to capture this data, so had to turn to industry estimates
instead. This provided us with the confidence that the measures were
working and so we've now rolled out the measures to a further 30
JAT pubs.
To date, we’ve invested £450,000 in JAT pubs as part of this energy
saving project, which amounts to £15,000 per pub.
Our sustainability checklist
As part of our journey to make all pubs in our estate sustainable
by 2030 we’ve created a checklist of measures to be introduced
where possible:
• Solar Panels: we now have solar water heating at 23 sites.
• Cellar Manager and Fridge Manager: apps that monitor the
temperature and switch on and off as necessary.
• Loft Insulation.
• Movement activated and LED low energy lighting.
• Right-sizing of all cellars: installing plastic curtains to bring large
cellars down to the right size. In the past, cellars and fridges were
sometimes in the same space, by dividing the space, we make big
savings.
• Self-closing taps to save water.
• Movement activated flushing in urinals to save water.
• New windows that are airtight to reduce heat loss and save energy.
Along with Carbon Architecture we’re also looking at how to change
old habits, such as leaving cellar doors open or switching on the hobs
to heat a cold kitchen when staff arrive in the morning.
Emerging technologies to help us
New legislation is being consulted on at the moment which proposes
that by 2027 pubs will not be able to trade unless their EPC (energy
performance certificate) is at Level C. By 2030 we’re expected to be at
Level B or beyond. The JAT pilot has projected that we can achieve the
2027 deadline, but we’ll need to use emerging new technologies to
help us reach the 2030 target.
First electric kitchen
We’ll be rolling out our first electric kitchen over the coming months.
We’ll monitor how much energy it uses and how this will work when
we have electric vehicle charging stations outside. Chefs traditionally
love to cook on gas – so we need to understand what this will mean
for future training of staff – exploring how to change mindsets and old
patterns of behaviour.
As well as the investment we’re making to our pub infrastructure,
we now have SmartDispense in over half of our Star Pubs & Bars
outlets. Emma Newberry, B2B & Quality Manager, tells us about
how our innovative draught dispense solution is helping pubs
pour greener pints.
HEINEKEN overhauled every aspect of the traditional dispense
system to create SmartDispense, an energy-efficient smart
technology which keeps the beer chilled and away from light all
the way from the keg to the tap, meaning it stays fresher for
longer and that the time between line cleans can be extended.
This means a reduction of up to 83% of beer, cider, water and
dispense CO 2
waste, which is better for our planet, without
compromising on the great taste of your favourite pint. To date,
SmartDispense technology has allowed pubs to save over 110m
pints of water (or over 347,000 bathtubs!) and over 396 tonnes
of CO 2
.
Pubs Sustainability Cabinet
Chris and Sophie Goodall, Head of Corporate Affairs for
Star Pubs & Bars, are chairing a Pubs Sustainability Cabinet,
which includes 10 other colleagues. Their first meeting was
in November and Behind the Brew will be following their
findings and initiatives over the coming months – so watch
this space.
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