Ahead of the Great Holiday Home Show, the UK’s biggest outdoor holiday home, caravan and motorhome show, holiday home designer and manufacturer Willerby has announced the development of a pioneering all-electric specification enabling its models to be powered solely by electricity on the majority of UK holiday parks.

Developed by Willerby’s in-house technical and product development teams, the Willerby All-E specification is a UK first as it means all-electric Willerby models will be able to be sited at most holiday parks across the country, making it a green game-changer for the holiday homes industry. The breakthrough reinforces Willerby’s reputation as the sector leader on sustainability.

Willerby All-E will be showcased in a Willerby holiday home at the Great Holiday Home Show, which opens on 8 September and is being staged at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate for the first time. Public and trade showgoers are invited to visit the Willerby Village to view a Willerby All-E holiday home and hear how the ground-breaking system will lead the industry’s green transition from liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to electric energy.

Willerby All-E addresses the significant challenge of switching to cleaner and greener energy when electricity supply to holiday parks is limited, with most pitches capped to a maximum 32A supply. The system uses intelligent technology to monitor and optimise electricity usage at all times, to avoid the supply being exceeded. For example, the central heating can draw less power when the oven or hob are in use, then kick back in immediately afterwards.

Willerby CEO Peter Munk, right, with some of the team behind the development of Willerby All-E, from left, Danny Chadwick, Rob Mooney, Byron Zagoras, Chloe Lidster, Emillie Ayre and Josh Mills, outside a Brookwood holiday home featuring the ground-breaking all-electric specification.

The system is made possible by three major innovations:

  • Willerby holiday homes are built to the Willerby GreEN Standard, which reduces energy consumption by up to 28 per cent.
  • With the help of a patented thermal battery, it has been possible to separate central heating and hot water, thereby replacing the traditional combi boiler – a breakthrough in the development of Willerby All-E.
  • The whole system is constantly monitored and managed by the latest technology and software to ensure optimum electricity usage with minimum wastage.

This means the user experience in Willerby All-E models is identical to a traditionally-powered holiday home, while being better for the environment.

Willerby CEO Peter Munk said: “We’re very excited to announce this major breakthrough, which will enable the holiday parks industry to take a big leap forward. Our Willerby All-E specification is the natural next step on our sustainability journey, following the introduction of the Willerby GreEN Standard last year.

“We know holiday home owners share our passion for protecting the planet and recognise that holiday parks already offer one of the most sustainable forms of tourism. Now, this ground-breaking innovation will make holidays and short breaks in Willerby models even greener.

“Equally, holiday park operators are committed to sustainability and the Willerby All-E specification will enable them to push ahead in moving from gas to electric energy supply and embrace more ways to generate green electricity on their sites.

“We’re inviting visitors to the Great Holiday Home Show to come to the Willerby Village to learn more about Willerby All-E and the sustainability benefits it offers to holiday home owners and holiday park operators.”

One of the first Willerby All-E models will be made available to Willerby employees to enjoy a great sustainable holiday while providing feedback to the company’s product development team.

Byron Zagoras, Head of Process Engineering, left, and CEO Peter Munk inspect the thermal battery – a key element of the technology behind the Willerby All-E system, which enables Willerby holiday homes to be powered solely by electricity on the majority of UK holiday parks.

News of the Willerby All-E specification comes hot on the heels of Willerby becoming the first manufacturer in the holiday homes industry to publish a Sustainability Report, which details the extensive measures the business has taken, such as the introduction of Willerby All-E, to cut carbon emissions and work with partners to pave the way to a green future for the holiday homes industry. Willerby has committed to publishing the Sustainability Report annually, so that customers, employees and stakeholders can see the full range of initiatives it is driving forward to reduce the environmental impact of the business.

The Willerby All-E specification also follows the launch, last October, of the pioneering Willerby GreEN Standard. This trailblazing standard specification applies across all Willerby’s holiday homes, making them more energy efficient and economical. In launching the Willerby GreEN Standard, Willerby became the first holiday homes manufacturer to introduce any kind of sustainability standard and the only one to offer a green build specification across the board. Now, Willerby All-E has taken the company’s sustainability mission to a new level.

All Willerby’s holiday homes are now designed and built to the Willerby GreEN Standard, with Willerby All-E available as an option, underlining the company’s position at the forefront of the holiday homes manufacturing sector for sustainability.