Solar panels have been installed at Workington Leisure Centre which will provide around 20% of its electricity demand.
The initiative was made possible through Capital Grant funding from the Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund, part of a national scheme that has distributed over £80 million to improve the energy efficiency of public swimming pools across the UK.
This grant is funded by the Government and was led and facilitated by Cumberland Council in collaboration with partners Day Cummins Ltd and Petit Singleton Associates Ltd.
The panels were installed by Love Solar Ltd, based in Penrith.
Tom Rice, Partnership Manager at Greenwich Leisure Limited, which operates Workington Leisure Centre on Cumberland Council’s behalf, said: “One of our key priorities is to futureproof leisure facilities across Cumberland and champion environmental resilience.
“We constantly strive to reduce the carbon footprint of our centres and utilise renewable energy as much as possible in a bid to decrease energy bills by lowering the centre’s reliance on the National Grid.
“These cost savings will be reinvested so that we can continue our ongoing programme of improvements to enhance the customer experience and offer the best possible leisure facilities for local people.
“Working collaboratively with partners, it supports the shared vision of building, creating and shaping sustainable communities.”
Cumberland Council said early data showed that during periods of high solar generation, surplus electricity was being exported back to the National Grid, which created an additional source of financial benefit for the centre.
The Sands Centre in Carlisle and Wigton Baths also received support through Sport England Capital funding from The National Lottery.
An investment of £73,000 was secured from Sport England as part of the second phase of the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund to support capital investment to improve energy efficiency at the Sands Centre. These sites have completed their own energy efficiency upgrades.
