Significant and transformative decarbonisation works are be carried out at two of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s entertainment and leisure venues after the council successfully gained £1.7m in funding from the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Grant Scheme.
At Campus West in Welwyn Garden City, the gas-fired boilers are one of the main sources of energy consumption and carbon emissions, and the grant of £998,910 will enable the replacement of these with a combined ASHP (air source heat pump) and WSHP (water source heat pump) primary plant system.
The high efficiency of heat pumps will lead to energy savings and reduce the energy consumption of the primary heating plant, while the fuel source for the primary plant will be changed from gas to electricity, which will significantly reduce carbon emissions and have a considerable impact on the decarbonisation of the site.
Hatfield Swim Centre will see the replacement of gas-fired boilers with more energy efficient systems, with the grant for this work totalling £733,867.
The schemes across both council-owned sites, supported by renewable energy, will achieve a reduction in energy usage of 80% and a combined reduction of 400 tonnes in Co2 emissions per year.
These practical steps are part of the council's pledge to reach its goal of net zero emissions by 2030.
To achieve this aim, the council will promote energy efficiency measures, champion sustainable construction, use renewable energy where it can, encourage sustainable transport and promote, support and encourage changes to the way people think about energy use.
Commenting, Executive Member for Governance, Public Health and Climate Change at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Councillor Fiona Thomson said: “Our commitment to tackling climate change in practical ways is evidenced by these building modernisations and they will go a long way towards our ultimate target of net zero transmissions by 2030.
“We hope that this will be the first of many improvements that we will be making across Welwyn Hatfield and I look forward to seeing the building works under way.”
The council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Resources, Councillor Duncan Bell added: “To receive this government funding to allow us to carry out significant building works to decarbonise our buildings is great news and we are grateful to the Secretary of State.
“These energy efficiency upgrades and improvements at two of our most popular sites will make a significant contribution in reaching our climate change objectives.”
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Grant Scheme is run by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and closed to new applications in January.
