SUPPORTING LEISURE CENTRES WITH GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND SMART ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

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5 pools have closed since 2019, without being replaced, and Swim England estimate that 350 have faced service reductions, or temporary or permanent closure since October 2022.

Responding to this, the Government announced a £63m one-year fund to support public swimming facilities in the spring budget, with £23m in revenue grants for short-term operational needs and help with energy costs, and a further £40m for capital investment to improve longer-term energy efficiency.

Administered by Sport England, this funding throws a lifeline to public swimming facilities. While the short-term grant funding will undoubtedly help address the worst impact of record energy prices, those facilities looking to longerterm feasibility – including decarbonisation as part of a broader sustainability strategy – are already investigating and implementing technologies to help secure lower energy usage, saving on costs and cutting emissions.

Powerstar work with councils and charitable trusts to reduce the carbon footprint of public swimming facilities, which also reduces energy costs, with Voltage Optimisation (VO) as a particularly effective solution. Where the National Grid has a legal obligation to supply mains voltage at 230V +10%/-6%, this means that while supply is anticipated to be at 230V, in practice it can be anywhere between 216 and 253V. Most equipment in the UK is designed to operate at 220V and and of the population. operating with a higher than necessary voltage wastes a significant amount of energy, while also damaging equipment through unnecessary wear and tear, shortening lifespan and increasing the need for maintenance.

For one client, Stockton Splash, in Stockton-on-Tees, Powerstar undertook site surveys that showed the incoming voltage was stable, but it was higher than necessary, meaning that implementing a VO solution would reduce emissions and bring about cost savings. A new 250kVA system, with a fixed 20V reduction, has reduced annual consumption by over 70,000kWh, saving Tees Active, who operate the centre, more than 10% in annual energy spend.

While this £63m will be crucial for swimming facilities, as noted, it is a one-off, one-year funding stream and still leaves the majority of public leisure facilities – around 2000 across the country – unsupported. For these, the wider Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) has already provided vital funding and, with Phase 3c expected to open in the autumn, the remaining budget for this phase, at £403m, represents a significant opportunity for leisure facilities looking to invest in sustainable energy technologies that both cut emissions and reduce operational costs. The 2021 ‘Securing the future of public sport and leisure services’ report highlights the critical need for leisure facilities to decarbonise if councils are to effectively address their own emission levels, as “some district councils reported that leisure centres can represent up to 40% or more of their carbon footprint making these facilities a priority for decarbonisation programmes…It, therefore, stands to reason that investing in more energy-efficient sport and leisure centres could help to have a significant impact in decarbonising the local authority property estate”.

Projects funded under PSDS Phase 3b include a range of leisure facilities across the country, and many include heat pumps and solar power as part of their energy-saving decarbonisation strategies. Of 17 council projects, which are either exclusively leisure related or where leisure centres are major beneficiaries, the scale of projects demonstrates both commitment to sustainability as well as clear evidence of the most relevant technologies to support this ambition, with funding between £364,000 for smaller projects up to £13,750,000 for London Borough of Hillingdon’s project to address its four largest sources of carbon emissions, including two leisure centres.

Where solar panels are installed to generate onsite renewable energy, including Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the scope of a project can help to address the issues of cost and sustainability. Solar power is, by its very nature, inflexible given that it is weather dependent. A BESS can store energy generated on site for use when needed. For maximum cost savings, this will ideally be when the price of energy from the grid is at peak price. Similarly, a BESS can store grid energy that is purchased when at its lowest cost. When considering net-zero ambitions, purchasing energy overnight for daytime usage is generally more sustainable, as electricity supplied by the grid at night is less carbon intensive than that supplied during the day. www.powerstar.com

Managing these two power sources –onsite renewables and grid supply – can lead to significant cost savings. Given that 94% of leisure centre income comes from customer fees facilities’ charges, leisure facilities need to ensure they can operate without disruption to energy supply and, while a traditional Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system can provide this, a modern BESS offers site-wide protection with 95% lower losses – again, reducing carbon emissions and cutting costs.

Ultimately, the cheapest and greenest unit of energy is the one you don’t use. Investing in technologies such as VO, solar power and BESS can lead to major cost and carbon reductions, helping the leisure sector to build back after COVID and to manage the worst aspects of the energy crisis. Where targeted Government support is available, both for the short term and the longer term, smart energy management can help to deliver the critical public sector netzero ambitions, while helping the wider public health agenda through continued access to leisure facilities for all.