ECO NEWS
Community Swimming Pool Venture Invests In Green Future
A community-run leisure centre has invested in its long-term future by using a biomass boiler to heat the water in its swimming pool.
Stocksbridge Leisure Centre is looking forward to a busy summer with its 12.5m-long swimming pool and showers heated by a 50kW boiler which burns wood pellets from sustainable sources.
Run by the 4SLC trust, the leisure centre had its boiler installed by renewable energy experts Regional Energy six months ago. The pool has been in public use since then and was officially opened in June by Mayor of Stocksbridge, Jack Clarkson. The not-for-profit trust has now launched a fundraising campaign to restore and reopen its second larger swimming pool – with plans to install a second biomass boiler to heat that too. 4SLC invested in biomass through the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, which means it will get quarterly reward payments for the next 20 years – creating a valued source of income for the
community venture. Trevor Fowler, of the 4SLC
Trust, said: “Our biomass boiler has been an excellent investment as it has enabled us to heat our small pool cheaply and effectively plus, through the Government’s incentive scheme, we expect to get back what we paid for it within three years, then after that our continued payments will be a welcome income stream for us. “We are a voluntary-run facility and have to think long and hard about how we spend our money for the long term viability of our leisure centre.”
Stocksbridge Leisure Centre has been run by the 4SLC voluntary trust on a 25 year long lease since September 2013 when the local authority withdrew support for the community facility. Regional Energy, based in nearby Penistone, was called in to provide a cost-effective heating solution for the family pool using cash raised through fundraising and donations. The pool, heated to 30°C, is now used for children’s lessons, parent
and baby and over 50s swimming sessions, beginners’ scuba, aquafit, zorbing and kids’ parties. Regional Energy Business Development Director Gary Hague said: “It has been great to be part of Stocksbridge Leisure Centre’s strategy to get their community-run asset onto a viable long-term footing. “Biomass heating is becoming an increasingly important option for people running all sorts of public buildings faced with the rising costs of fossil fuels and the growing need to develop sustainable alternatives.
“And biomass is a particularly wise option now because, as well as providing a reliable long-term heating solution, people can also earn money through a generous government incentive scheme to encourage people to develop green technologies. “We forecast the Stocksbridge Leisure Centre’s biomass boiler will save them nearly £250,000 in comparison to mains gas over the next 20 years.”
Regional Energy 01226 693151
www.regionalenergy.co.uk
Trevor Fowler of 4SLC (left) and Gary Hague of Regional Energy at Stocksbridge Leisure Centre pool
Gibbons Provides Swimming Pool AHU Replacement
When a council-run leisure pool in Suffolk was faced with an inefficient, failing air handling system, Gibbons HVAC Services were commissioned to perform a smooth upgrade with minimal disruption.
The air handling units (AHUs) in question served as the main supply and extract equipment and, having been installed approximately 30 years prior, had reached the end of their economic life and were in need of replacement. The project formed part of a £4m upgrade, which focused on energy-efficient operation and greater control over the conditions within the pool building.
The council wanted the facility to be at least partly operational while work was carried out, so Gibbons planned the project meticulously to ensure half of the pool complex remained open to the public at all times. Work commenced with the decommissioning and disassembly of the original AHUs, each one cut down to sections small enough to be safely removed from the plant room before being taken away for recycling.
Getting the AHU into the plant location presented a challenge as the only entry point was via a standard single doorway. To overcome this problem, Gibbons
26 August 2015 SPN
Original AHUs in the cramped plant room
designed and manufactured each part of the AHU, fans, dampers and coils to be in component form and assembled them inside. New plug-type fans were fitted to energy-efficient motors, which were paired with ABB HVAC variable-speed drives for additional savings during non-peak times. The new units were built on the existing concrete slab and matched as closely as possible to the original duct connections. Upon completion, each AHU was tested and the fans dynamically balanced.
This turnkey package was fully managed by Gibbons Engineering Group and delivered to programme and on budget.
Gibbons Engineering Group Ltd 01621 868138
www.gibbonsgroup.co.uk
Completed AHUs, constructed on site
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
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