The Witham Leisure Centre greener future initiative
In 2024, Braintree District Council was successful in a bid for grant funding from Sport England’s Capital Swimming Pools Support Fund to the amount of £375,350, to invest in LED lighting and solar panel installation at Witham Leisure Centre.
As well as the two large solar canopies in the car park, the roof of the leisure centre is covered to capacity with solar panels. There has also been an upgrade to the internal lighting around the pool, squash courts, reception area and corridors.
These energy efficiency measures not only reduce the running costs of the leisure centre but also support carbon reduction as part of the Braintree District Council’s commitments within the Climate Strategy.
Benefits of the solar panels
In total, the Sport England grant funded 983 solar photovoltaic panels which covers approximately 2000m2.
Each panel at full peak generation will generate 415 watts per hour and the estimated annual output of the whole new system will save approximately 60 tonnes of carbon emissions. That’s enough power to annually boil around 14 million cups of tea, or charge an electric car to drive around the world roundabout 48 times!
How does solar power work?
Solar power works by converting energy from the sun into power. Solar PV is based on the photovoltaic effect, by which a photon (the basic unit of light) impacts a semi-conductor surface like silicon and generates the release of an electron. Your home or business premises may be suitable for solar panels and can significantly reduce your electricity costs.
What are the benefits of generating renewable energy?
If you generate renewable electricity at home, you can use it to power electrical appliances, or even your electric vehicle. This lowers the amount of electricity you import and pay for from the grid.
This could help you save money on your electricity bills. It also helps reduce the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions, since you’re not importing energy that’s been generated from non-renewable sources.
Check out our grants and funding page for some of the support that’s available for making your home more energy efficient.
Benefits of the LED element
Inside the leisure centre, there has been an upgrade to the lighting systems which have seen all halogen lighting replaced with LED lighting. This will be at least 80% more efficient than the previous systems.
Energy efficient lighting helps lower electricity bills and carbon emissions. If you replace all the bulbs in your home with LED lights, you could reduce your annual carbon dioxide emissions by up to 35kg.
Lighting makes up 11% of the average UK household electricity consumption, so making the switch could help you save money too.