Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke visited the Ariah Park Hotel today to see how a Heritage Near Me Green Energy Grant is helping the hotel attract more tourists.
The hotel received $92,904 to improve insulation to make life more comfortable for guests.
“This is a beautiful hotel and I’m delighted to see the NSW Government is helping keep this heritage listed building in such good condition,” Ms Cooke said.
“I’ve always enjoyed visiting Ariah Park and now, with these energy-efficiency upgrades, we hope to see many more people getting the same enjoyment.
“The grant has helped make cooling and heating more efficient and will create a much more comfortable place for tourists to stay a while and explore.”
Jacqueline Collins, co-owner of the hotel, said the improvements will make the hotel an attractive option for visitors and boost tourism in the town.
“We’ve been able to improve heating and cooling and insulation,” Ms Collins said.
“We’ve insulated the entire roof space, we’ve enclosed open walkways in glass, and we’ve put in air conditioning, so that when people come to stay with us they’ll enjoy comfortable temperatures all year round.
“People can now stay longer and enjoy being here – we are now targeting self-drive visitors who come through the Riverina, encouraging them to make our hotel a base and explore from here.”
Ms Cooke said the hotel is one of 24 projects across NSW which will share $1.5 million in grants to provide for energy efficiencies in state and locally listed heritage items.
“These Green Energy Grants recognise that energy efficiency can be challenging for heritage properties because building age, materials, type of construction, size, shape and site orientation all play a role in how heritage buildings perform,” Ms Cooke said.
“I am delighted that 75% of the 24 successful projects are in regional areas including in former banks, historic homesteads, churches and convents.
“This program is another example of the NSW Government working to reduce power bills, greenhouse gas emissions and the generating grid load.”
To read more about the Heritage Near Me program go to www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritage-near-me
