Whatever your thoughts on global warming, whether it’s just ‘weather’ or an existential threat to humankind, there’s no denying it’s been rather hot in much of Europe during the last two or three weeks. “Scorcio,†as they used to say in the mock weather forecasts on that brilliant TV comedy programme The Fast Show.
And with scant regard to mythological or historical consistency, they even named two heatwaves Cerberus, after the three-headed dog who guarded Hades in Greek mythology, and Nero, the Emperor who supposedly fiddled while Rome burned.
I have to say that, in northern Italy, at least, reports of us dropping like flies are much exaggerated: we seek that shade more often when we chat, we drink more liquids and we like to complain to each other about the caldissimo. But in general we are coping very well, thank you very much, and particularly at the Watermill.
That is because, as well shady corners and breezes by the river, there are air-conditioning units in all our bedrooms and public rooms, including the communal dining room, sitting room and the studio, all powered by our hidden array of photovoltaic cells, which make us self-sufficient in electricity.
This is why we say we are Cool AND Green:
The figures in the green circles, enlarged below, show that in the last four years our hidden array of photovoltaic panels has produced more than 60 megawatt hours (MWh = 60,000 KwH) of electricity and saved the emission of 43 tonnes of carbon dioxide from conventional power stations.
You will have to search hard to see our photovoltaic panels, which are on the south-facing roofs of the 19th century mill and on the studio, looking out towards the river.. You can really only see them from the air.
The solar-powered photovoltaic panels, which we installed in 2019, make us more than self-sufficient in electricity production and we sell the surplus sun-created electricity back to the Italian electric company. Our home-made electricity also powers the air-conditioning system, so apart from regular maintenance it effectively costs nothing to run. Mind you, it wasn’t cheap to install, so it will be some years before we see a return on our investment.
So, don’t be afraid of the heat: come and join us and enjoy the warmth of our hospitality and the coolth of our ambience.
