The UK serviced apartment and aparthotel sector has grown approximately 14% annually since 2020 — among the fastest-growing UK hospitality segments. The 2026 estate exceeds 14,000 serviced apartment units across approximately 380 branded and independent properties, concentrated in major UK cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Bristol) plus a growing population of secondary-city expansion (Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow). The branded operators — Locke, citizenM, Adagio (Accor), Staybridge Suites (IHG), Hyatt House, Marriott Element, Cycas Hospitality-managed brands — have all committed to on-site renewable energy as part of brand-parent sustainability programmes.
The serviced apartment electricity profile
Serviced apartment electricity demand differs from traditional hotel demand in three specific ways: higher overnight load (guests cook, do laundry, use in-apartment appliances), lower daytime peak (no centralised kitchen, no day-spa, no conference space), and more variability driven by occupancy length (overnight business traveller vs 30-day corporate relocation vs short-stay leisure).
A typical 80-unit branded serviced apartment building in a major UK city draws approximately 480,000-720,000 kWh/year of total electricity. Of this:
- In-apartment load: 60-70% — induction hobs, dishwashers, washing machines, HVAC, lighting
- Common areas: 15-22% — lobby, corridors, lifts, fire systems, communal lounge
- F&B and amenity (where present): 8-15% — coffee bar, breakfast room, small gym
- Building services: 5-8% — pumps, ventilation, communications
Metering structure determines solar economics
Three metering patterns drive different solar economic structures:
Consolidated building meter
Simplest pattern. Single meter covers entire building. Solar offsets total demand. Common in independent and smaller branded aparthotel properties. Self-consumption typically 78-84%.
Common-area only metering
Building has separate common-area meter (paid by landlord/operator) plus individual sub-meters per apartment (billed to tenant). Solar typically offsets only common-area load — meaningful but smaller savings. Self-consumption on common-area-only metering typically 90-95% (very high because common area load is small relative to solar generation).
Sub-metered with rebate
Each apartment sub-metered to tenant. Building solar offsets common-area; surplus generation either exported via SEG or rebated to tenants via reduced apartment service charge. Increasingly common in premium-segment aparthotels (Locke-equivalent operators) where the sustainability narrative is part of the guest value proposition.
Branded aparthotel sustainability standards
Each major UK aparthotel brand has a published sustainability framework:
- Locke (Edyn Group): 'Locke Live' sustainability commitments include 100% renewable electricity by 2030 across the UK estate.
- citizenM: Brand-wide carbon-neutral commitment by 2030 with on-site renewable energy investment programme.
- Adagio (Accor): Aligned with Accor Planet 21 — MCS-certified commercial PV preferred installer requirement.
- Staybridge Suites (IHG): Aligned with IHG Green Engage — API monitoring integration required.
- Hyatt House: Aligned with Hyatt's World of Care programme — SBTi-validated 2030 targets.
- Marriott Element: Aligned with Marriott Serve 360 / MyEnergy — Element brand specifically positioned around sustainability.
We hold brand engineering pre-approval with all major UK aparthotel operators.
Long-stay corporate relocation segment
Aparthotels serving the 30+ day corporate relocation segment (typical for senior executive temporary housing, secondment, project assignment) increasingly require venue sustainability evidence as part of corporate framework agreements. Multinational corporate relocation providers (Crown Worldwide, Sirva, Cartus) now routinely include venue sustainability scoring in their property panel evaluation criteria — typically requiring evidence of on-site renewable energy, Scope 2 emissions per delegate-day, and third-party sustainability certification.
Serviced apartment solar FAQs
How does metering work for serviced apartment solar?
Three patterns: (1) consolidated meter — building-wide metering with solar offsetting total demand, simplest; (2) common-area vs apartment-level split — solar offsets common-area load only; (3) tenant sub-metered apartments — solar offsets common areas with billing rebate to tenants for in-apartment share. We model all three scenarios during feasibility.
Are serviced apartments better than traditional hotels for solar?
Mixed. Serviced apartments have higher overnight load than traditional hotels (cooking, laundry done in-apartment) but lower daytime peak. Self-consumption typically 78-86% — slightly below traditional hotel benchmarks but still strong enough for 5-6 year paybacks.
Which UK aparthotel brands have solar standards?
Locke, citizenM, Adagio (Accor), Staybridge Suites (IHG), Cycas Hospitality-managed properties all have published sustainability commitments that align with on-site solar PV. We carry brand engineering pre-approval with the major aparthotel-active brands.