Following the successful completion of triple glazing installations at Appleby and Penrith Leisure Centres in March, work is now starting on stage two of a £1 million decarbonisation project to make both centres more energy efficient and save on running costs.
On 7 April contractors will begin working on the roof at Penrith Leisure Centre to carry out maintenance works, fit extra insulation and install additional solar PV panels, doubling the size of the existing array.
Westmorland and Furness Council has contributed additional funding to increase roofing insulation at both buildings and add an automatic door closer at Appleby Leisure Centre, where solar PV panels will also be fitted later this year. Appleby Leisure Centre will be receiving further building decarbonisation upgrades thanks to the recently announced Public Sector Decarbonisation funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. An air source heat pump will replace their gas boiler and plant room pipes will be insulated during 2025.
On completion of this project, the combined energy saving measures will bring estimated lifetime carbon savings of 1625 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), the equivalent of taking over 460 long haul flights from London to Hong Kong.
Westmorland and Furness Council received funding from Phase 2 of Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund to make Appleby and Penrith Leisure Centres more energy efficient and sustainable, contributing to the council’s ongoing programme of decarbonisation work in their drive to becoming net zero by 2037.
The new solar PV panels will be fitted to the sports hall and bowls hall roofs and it is expected to take 17 weeks. Scaffolding will be installed externally around the building so alternative access may be needed for some areas while this work takes place, but all affected users will be contacted prior to the works starting. Although there will be no scaffolding internally, contractors are working closely with leisure centre operators GLL to plan the work around current activity timetables to reduce any impact as much as possible.
Cllr Virginia Taylor, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Communities and Localities said:
“Our leisure centres and swimming pools are very important for residents’ health and wellbeing, but they’re significant consumers of energy – so I was delighted when we were able to introduce energy saving measures at Penrith and Appleby Leisure Centres, thanks to Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund. I’m even more pleased that significant further improvements to energy use and carbon emissions are now going to happen, thanks to additional government funding and to Westmorland and Furness Council’s own investment.”
“These additional works will benefit the budget and the planet, and help the centres to be even more pleasant environments for everyone to enjoy and improve their health and wellness.”
Cllr Giles Archibald, Cabinet Member for Climate, Biodiversity and Environmental Services, said:
“This Sport England funding will help us to make significant progress in our targets to reduce our carbon footprint through our programme of decarbonisation work. Our vision for Westmorland and Furness is to be a great place to live, work and thrive, and to provide leadership in the drive to become carbon net zero.”