Braintree District Council’s Sport England-funded project to install 983 carbon emission busting solar panels and LED lighting at Witham Leisure Centre has completed ahead of deadline.
The Council won a grant from the Sport England Swimming Pools Support Capital Fund to help fund two solar canopies in the leisure centre’s car park and a large solar array on the roof, to complement a small pre-existing array. The grant also provided for extensive interior LED lighting.
Contractors RenEnergy completed the works in early February, almost two months in advance of the project’s 31 March deadline.
Inside the leisure centre, halogen lighting around the pool, squash courts, reception area and corridors has been replaced by LED lighting, which is at least 80% more efficient.
The new solar panels combined cover an area of just under 2000m² and will save just under 60 tonnes of carbon every year, enough to boil water for 14 million cups of tea or charge an electric vehicle to drive around the world approximately 48 times.
For Braintree District Council this represents a significant annual carbon reduction, a cost saving and protection from future energy price rises. Reducing carbon is a key aim of the Council’s Climate Change Strategy.
Councillor Lynette Bowers-Flint, Cabinet Member for Housing, Health and Wellbeing, said: “I am thrilled to see the solar panels already in place and supplying Witham Leisure Centre. Using renewable energy and efficient lighting will help our leisure services to operate sustainably and at lower cost, which is good news for all our residents. Thanks must also go to centre users for their patience while our contractors have been working in the car park.”
Councillor Richard van Dulken, Lead Member for Environment and Waste Strategy and Deputy to the Cabinet Member for Transformation, the Environment & Customer Services, said: “This project is a real success story, bringing reductions in emissions with minimal cost and disruption to our residents. This shows that it is possible for the needs of business and the environment to be met compatibly.”
Councillor Kevin Bowers, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Performance, said: “The solar array here increases the social value of this leisure centre; it’s great news for Witham. The LED lighting is bright and modern and runs at a fraction of its predecessor’s consumption. I am delighted that Braintree District Council could make such good use of the Sport England grant.”