The questions hotel owners and investors ask before committing capital: what the audit costs, how the system is sized, how long installation takes, and how returns should be measured.
Getting started
A HNordic energy audit is a structured, property-specific assessment covering your energy bills, heating systems, lighting, hot water demand, electrical loads, and building fabric. Two to three site visits by a qualified HNordic engineer, followed by data analysis and a written report with a costed improvement roadmap. The audit tells you what your property actually needs, in what order, and what it will save.
Pricing depends on property size: €15,000 for properties between 5,000 and 8,000 m², €25,000 for 8,000 to 15,000 m², and bespoke pricing for properties over 15,000 m². When the project proceeds to installation and maintenance, the audit fee is credited against the first year of the maintenance contract.
No. The audit is a standalone engagement. The report and roadmap are yours regardless of what happens next. There is no obligation to proceed with installation, and no obligation to use HNordic.
A paid audit produces a different quality of output from a free site survey. It funds proper data collection, engineering analysis, and a written report that is specific to your property -- not a generic proposal shaped around what the assessor wants to sell. The fee credit to the maintenance contract means the audit effectively costs nothing if the project proceeds.
The system
No. Battery storage, EV charging infrastructure, efficient heating, and LED lighting all work without a wind turbine and do not require planning consent for those components. Wind generation is added where the site supports it -- coastal locations, elevated rural properties, sites with good wind exposure. The energy audit includes a site assessment that tells you whether wind is viable at your property.
Yes -- and the financial case for doing so is strong. Hotels that complete efficiency improvements (LED lighting, heating system replacement, demand management) before sizing a generation system typically find they need a system 35--45% smaller than their initial estimate. A smaller system costs less capital, pays back faster, and earns a better return on the capital deployed. The efficiency improvements also deliver savings from day one -- before the generation system is commissioned.
Every HNordic installation includes battery storage, AI energy management, certified installation by qualified third-party engineers, and an ongoing maintenance contract. Battery storage is not optional -- the system is designed around it.
A full HNordic installation including a wind turbine, grid connection, and all compliance approvals follows a 16-week timeline from contract signing to full production. Installations without a wind turbine are completed in 12--16 weeks and do not require grid connection approval or planning consent for the turbine.
HNordic schedules installation around your occupancy calendar. For Alpine and seasonal hotels, all work falls within the defined off-season window. The audit output includes a recommended installation schedule for your property.
For installations without a wind turbine, disruption is limited to the areas where work is taking place -- primarily plant rooms, roof access, and car park areas for EV charging. Guest-facing areas are not affected during normal operation. HNordic installs in phases where properties are occupied throughout, and works with the property manager to confirm sequencing before the project begins.
HNordic installations are completed by certified third-party engineers who carry the relevant technical qualifications and local regulatory approvals. HNordic manages the process and remains the single point of accountability.
Financial returns
Returns depend on your property's energy profile, tariff structure, and which components are installed. The audit report models the full revenue stack for your property -- self-consumption savings, peak demand reduction, EV charging revenue, energy arbitrage, grid export where applicable, and the impact on the property's energy performance certificate and asset value. Payback periods vary by property and configuration.
For hotel owners planning to sell, payback period is the wrong frame. The correct question is what the investment creates in terms of property value. A documented operating cost reduction improves the hotel's net operating income. Hotel properties are valued as a multiple of their income -- typically 5--7x transaction multiples. A €30,000 annual reduction in operating costs does not just save €30,000 a year. At a 5x multiple, it creates €150,000 of additional asset value at sale. The audit models this for your specific property.
Yes. Battery storage, peak demand management, energy arbitrage, and EV charging revenue are independent of wind generation. The battery can be charged from low-tariff grid electricity and dispatched during peak demand or high-tariff periods. On properties without a wind turbine, these revenue streams are the primary financial case.
Most hotel owners purchase the system outright or finance it through green loans or energy-linked financing. An investor-yield model -- where a third party funds the system and earns a return from its performance -- is also available; HNordic assesses this on a per-project basis in every market it serves, not Switzerland alone. Availability and terms vary by market -- location pages carry the specific grant and financing options for each country.
Compliance and certification
Yes. The combination of consumption reduction (LED, efficient heating) and on-site generation and storage improves a building's formal energy performance rating -- EPC in the UK, Energideklaration in Sweden, and equivalent frameworks in EU markets. The specific improvement depends on the starting point and the components installed. The audit models the expected improvement for your property.
On-site generation reduces your property's Scope 2 carbon emissions -- the emissions from purchased electricity. For hotel groups and investors with EU institutional investor relationships, CSRD reporting from 2026 requires disclosure of Scope 2 reductions. The AI energy management system produces exportable data on generation, consumption, and Scope 2 reduction that supports verified reporting.
Grant availability varies significantly by country and changes annually. Location pages carry the current confirmed rates and eligibility criteria for each market. Do not rely on figures you see quoted in general energy media -- they are frequently out of date or market-specific.
Working with HNordic
Remote monitoring, preventive maintenance visits, performance reporting, and a defined fault response SLA. HNordic monitors system performance against the audit projections and acts on any divergence.
Performance monitoring against the audit baseline is included in the maintenance contract. If output diverges from projections, HNordic identifies the cause and acts on it. The maintenance contract aligns HNordic's interests with yours -- we earn from a system that performs.
Yes. The DC mini-grid is designed for expansion. EV charging points, additional battery capacity, and wind generation can be added to an existing system without replacing the core infrastructure.
[Book an energy audit.]/contact/ It is the right starting point regardless of what you decide to do afterwards.
If your question is not here, contact HNordic. The right starting point for most conversations is an energy audit -- it answers the property-specific questions that a FAQ cannot.
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