Partnership Success Brings Low-Carbon Innovation to Grantham Meres
Working with renewable energy specialist Leisure Energy, the £4m South Kesteven District Council project has delivered air source heat pump technology to the centre, in a move expected to reduce energy bills for the centre by £170,000 a year, and cut carbon emissions by more than 550 tonnes a year.
Funding came through Phase 3c of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix Finance.
Visitors from all partners met to learn more about the decarbonisation scheme and saw for themselves the Net Zero Pod at the centre of operations.
Carbon emissions from the district’s three SKDC-operated leisure centres made up 41% of the council’s operational emissions due to the energy used for heating and hot water, as well as electricity to power the centres.
Installing the new heating system will dramatically lower the centre’s energy bills, reduce its carbon footprint and help meet the council’s target of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, Cllr Rhys Baker, said:
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre is now the benchmark for net zero leisure facilities, with the installation of a Net Zero Pod to reduce operational costs, boost efficiency and cut carbon emissions.
Mike Worsnop, Acting Managing Director at Leisure Energy, said:
The replacement of the existing fossil fuel boilers and CHP unit with the installation of solar panels, and our unique Net Zero Pod®, will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the facility in having reduced gas consumption by 100%, which will also result in lower operating costs. Consequently, the community is provided with an energy efficient leisure facility for many generations to come.
The Net Zero Pod replaces The Meres’ gas boilers within a stand-alone external plant room designed specifically for use within a leisure and swimming pool environment. Alongside the pod is an evaporator fan deck housing fan units. Benefits include a rapid response to changes in site demand and weather conditions.
The Pod works in partnership with 574 solar panels secured through a £399,000 grant from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund.
The council was awarded £3,587,500 of grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, supported by funding from its own budgets to bring the total investment to just over £4m.
To add some context, for every single unit of energy the heat pump uses, it can produce at least four units of heat. Gas boilers in comparison run at only 70-94% efficiency levels, whilst also producing greater carbon emissions.
