A pioneering vision for sustainable hotels

Established in 2012, Zeal Hotels was founded with a clear mission: to acquire strategic hotel sites, develop them sustainably, and retain ownership to drive long-term impact.

From the outset, the company has been motivated to reduce the carbon emissions of hotels, not just through operations but throughout the construction process itself. This ambition has crystallised in the launch of 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 the sector. It is designed to run entirely on renewable and solar energy and targets an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of below 55kWh/m². More than just low energy, the hotel is energy positive, generating more energy annually than it consumes. Alongside this operational achievement, the building has been constructed to achieve the RIBA 2030 embodied carbon target of under 750kgCO₂/m².

The hotel is also part of a pilot for the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, which seeks to unify definitions and metrics across the built environment in line with the nation’s 2050 carbon commitments.

Innovation in design and construction
The Exeter Science Park site spans 5,000m² and incorporates not only bedrooms but also a restaurant, bar, private dining space, conference facilities, gym, and charging stations for EVs and e-bikes. Every design choice has been driven by sustainability.

• The building adheres to Passivhaus principles, ensuring exceptional thermal efficiency.
• It features adiabatic cooling and heat-reversible pumps, minimising reliance on traditional mechanical cooling.
• It is the first building in the UK to install Solarlab vertical photovoltaic panels as rainscreen cladding.
• Low-carbon construction materials, such as Ecocrete with up to 85% less CO₂ than conventional cement, were deployed throughout.

As Founding Director Tim Wheeldon explains:

“The decision to build our net zero hotel reflects our commitment to combating climate change and reducing our carbon footprint. By harnessing renewable energy sources, implementing energy-efficient designs, and utilising innovative technology, we have created a space that not only provides comfort and luxury but also prioritises environmental responsibility.”

The challenge of balancing comfort and efficiency
Delivering net zero performance in hospitality is uniquely challenging. Hotels must provide comfort and flexibility for guests while also minimising resource use. As Dan Palmer, who oversees the hotel’s energy management, notes, “Being the UK’s first net zero hotel, the end goal is to keep consumption down to the lowest possible level. We could be more efficient, but there is a fine line between guest comfort and energy efficiency.”

This balance is where the Prefect Irus energy management system has proved invaluable.

“I’ve never come across another system like Irus… nothing as user-friendly. It’s fantastic – the ease of navigating everything, understanding what it’s telling me, and then relaying that insight to colleagues. It’s all there, simple to use, giving me detail on an individual room basis.”

Dan Palmer – voco Zeal Hotel

Prefect Irus: Control. Visibility. Intelligence.
Irus was chosen for its ability to control, monitor, and analyse energy consumption at a granular level – room by room. Unlike traditional building management systems (BMS), Irus provides insight to how individual spaces behave under real-world conditions via the user-friendly Irus Portal.

Dan explains how the system supports operational decision-making:

• Monitoring extremes:
  “What is really great about the Irus system is that I can individually monitor each room, so any extreme temperature, for example when we’re hitting 30/35/36°C, I can see how hot or cold each room is and how the building is working and attend to acute issues.”
• Understanding solar gains:
  “Predictably, the south elevation of the hotel was warmer than the north. The Irus portal was fantastic because I could literally watch the temperature increase gradually, in line with the lux levels going up.”
• Problem solving:
  Using the Investigator tool, the team traced persistent hotspots to a boiler room located beneath guest rooms. Adding an extractor fan resolved the issue.

The system also enables management of adiabatic cooling, which uses a water-based process to cool incoming air. Data collected through Irus helps confirm that ventilation, humidity removal, and thermal performance are working as designed.

A platform for continuous improvement
For Zeal Hotels, Irus is not simply a tool for monitoring – it underpins a culture of continuous learning and optimisation.

“We are measuring everything in this hotel – electricity, water – data is king and we’re learning continuously… with Irus we have the evidence of what works, the data that is collected proves ideas that work and then these can be implemented here and in our future developments.” – Dan Palmer

The flexibility of the portal allows the team to tweak heating and cooling profiles, adjust boost times, and integrate with wider BMS systems such as Trend. Prefect’s responsive support has further enhanced system performance.

Setting a precedent for the industry
By combining innovative building design with cutting-edge energy management, voco Zeal Exeter Science Park demonstrates how luxury hospitality can align with the UK’s net zero ambitions. The Irus system has given Zeal Hotels the insight needed to balance comfort with efficiency, and the data evidence to inform future projects across the UK and Europe.

As Dan concludes: “I’ve never come across another system like Irus… nothing as user-friendly. It’s fantastic – the ease of navigating everything, understanding what it’s telling me, and then relaying that insight to colleagues. It’s all there, simple to use, giving me detail on an individual room basis.”

The heat sources throughout the hotel are Prefect Accessio fluid-filled radiators, providing a gentle heating profile, more akin to central heating.

A bespoke Control Unit fascia was designed for this installation to blend with the hotel’s interior design aesthetic. Far left – the  standard design, right – the  design chosen for the voco Zeal hotel.