Page 4 - Town & Around - May 2022

4 Town & Around May 2022 Tel: 01485 540620 email: editor@townandaround.net
Top Norfolk park set to go the distance for EV customers

lectric car owners staying at Searles Leisure Resort in
Hunstanton, can now leave their vehicle's 'range anxiety' at
Ehome.
That's because the multi-award-winning park, and its neighbouring
Heacham Manor Hotel, have just installed 12 high-speed charging
plug-ins for EVs (electric vehicles).
And local residents have also been told that they are welcome to
come and give their vehicles a top-up at the hotel if their batteries are
running low.
Andrew Searle, a director of the 60-year-old family business, said
that a growing number of park customers are now moving away from
diesel and petrol and embracing electric vehicles.
"The only thing holding some families back is concern about the
availability of charging points when they make longer journeys, such
as going on holiday," he said.
"That is why we decided it was the right time to invest in a network Park mascots Sidney and the SuperSquad give their EV a boost
of chargers at both Searles Leisure Resort and Heacham Manor Hotel. at one of Searles' 12 new charging plug-ins
"I hope our initiative will help increase even further the appeal of
north west Norfolk as a holiday destination and boost the benefits be exchanged in return for a bag of potatoes.
which tourism brings to all types of businesses. Successive generations of the Searle family have put their own
"We fully recognise the importance of encouraging more drivers to stamp on the park's character, and added to the range of facilities,
make the switch to electric, and believe that this move this will help attractions and accommodation options.
provide the extra confidence they need. Today, Searles provides more than 500 privately owned and rented
"We also understand how important it is to do our part in reducing caravan holiday homes and lodges, as well as 300-plus touring pitches
the environmental impact caused by CO2 emissions. plus luxury timber camping pods.
"Whilst we are offering the benefit of charging to those guests The park employs around 200 people, plus an addition 50 staff at
holidaying on park, we welcome local visitors and owners to plug in its Heacham Manor hotel which was converted by Searles from a listed
their electric vehicles at any time at the hotel, if they wish," added Elizabethan building.
Andrew. A winner of many national and regional quality awards, Searles is
The chargers at the holiday park and hotel are part of the Pod Point managed today by Andrew in partnership with his brother Paul and
network which provides over 6,000 charging bays across the UK. sister Joanna.
Searles was founded in the late 1920’s by Andrew's grandfather, There is more information about Searles Leisure Resort at
Geoffrey, and began life as a modest touring park where a pitch could www.searles.co.uk
How does car air-conditioning affect fuel consumption?

Abigail Bown
ising fuel costs, along with an increase in the cost of overall windows open or the air con on. But, on a hot day, this can make the
living, is a problem we are all facing. Understanding how your cabin incredibly uncomfortable.
Rcar uses its fuel, and what you can do to reduce the amount • It’s crucial to have your car’s air conditioning system serviced
consumed, is a way to help offset the rise in costs. regularly. Much like a boiler, your car’s air con has to be maintained
Since the weather is due to heat up in the next couple of months - to prevent problems in the future, despite the fact that it seems to be
we can only hope! - it’ll be handy to know how to cool your car interior working fine in the present. Your air con system should be serviced
effectively, without using up too much fuel. every two years to ensure it is running efficiently and any lost
refrigerant is replaced. The less efficient the system, the more fuel it
How much fuel does your air-con consume? will use.
The compressor needs energy to run your vehicle’s air conditioning
system and therefore will use a small amount of fuel whenever the
system is running. It could increase your fuel usage by as much as 10
per cent.

This inflation is more noticeable on short journeys; when you set
off, the system has to work really hard to bring the internal temperature
down. Once it’s down to a comfortable level, the air flow rate can be
reduced, the temperature increased, or even turned off completely.
Long journeys usually don’t require the air con to be blasting the whole
way, hence why using your air con on short journeys can cause more
of an increase in fuel consumption.
How to save fuel:
• When you first start driving, try opening the windows for a couple K Brown Auto Repairs have garages in Hunstanton
of minutes if it’s warm. This will remove the majority of the hot air in and King’s Lynn.
the cabin so your air conditioning won’t have to work too hard. Visit www.kbrownautoskingslynn.co.uk for more
• Remember, that although driving with your windows open is fine information. Call their friendly team to book your air
(and can help to reduce fuel consumption) at slow speeds, it is not conditioning service on:
advised to do the same when you’re driving faster. The drag caused 01485 533786 for Hunstanton
by open windows could actually use additional fuel. and 01553 763763 for King’s Lynn.
• In terms of fuel usage, it’s obviously better to drive without the