Council gains £173,000 grant to make major leisure centre more energy efficient
A grant of £173,000 has been obtained to make Harpenden Leisure Centre more energy efficient, reduce bills and cut harmful emissions.
The money will be used to fit solar panels to the building which has almost 4,000 members and was opened three years ago.
St Albans City and District Council, which owns the centre, applied for the grant along with its leisure contractor Everyone Active.
The award comes from the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund which is supported by the National Lottery.
The Council will now put a contract out to tender for the purchase and installation of the eco-friendly panels.
They will not generate enough electricity to ensure the energy-intensive centre is self-sufficient, but will reduce bills and emissions with the Council committed to becoming net zero by 2030.
Chris Traill, the Council's Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery, said:
Harpenden Leisure Centre has been a wonderful success story, helping people to be healthy and physically active.
Pools in particular, though, are energy intensive and the huge increases we have seen in energy prices have presented us with considerable financial challenges.
We are delighted that the bid we made with our partners, Everyone Active, was accepted and the grant will see a significant cut in both bills and emissions in future years to the benefit of our residents.
Steve Cox, Everyone Active Area Contract Manager, said:
We are delighted the Council has been successful in obtaining funding and it is great news that this project will further reduce the centre’s carbon footprint.
As a result of the energy crisis, we have seen our energy bills more than double. The implementation of the solar panels at Harpenden Leisure Centre marks a significant step towards reducing its carbon footprint and simultaneously lowering energy costs. Everyone Active is proud to work alongside the Council as part of our Net Zero Strategy to help achieve our company’s net zero ambitions.
Media Contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.