ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
LEISURE GOES GREEN WITH SOLAR POWER
A large-scale solar panel installation is helping an Essex-based leisure centre reduce operational costs and emissions
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n a move to increase efficiency and reduce emissions from its buildings, RenEnergy has supported Braintree Council with a large-scale 407KW solar panel installation at Witham Leisure Centre in Essex. A total of 983 solar panels were installed,
including both solar carports and roof arrays. This is expected to produce over 399MWh of energy annually. With various facilities such as a gym, swimming pool, sports hall and fitness studios, the installation will therefore help reduce operation costs on the site.
THE CHALLENGES There were, however, a number of challenges. For a start, the project needed to be delivered before the Sport England Funding deadline at the end of March 2025 and in line with its requirements for funding. Secondly, as the rooftop and carport solutions were installed at the same time, there were various logistical, resource and health and safety considerations. To ensure these problems were addressed early on, RenEnergy UK was able to collaborate closely with all of the stakeholders to complete the project before initial deadline.
THE RESULTS The leisure centre is now avoiding an estimated
59,415kg of CO2 emissions each year and it will be operating at a 34.7% self-sufficiency level. The extra supply of clean energy also means the centre can reduce operational costs on the site with better efficiency and lower emissions from energy. In the future, there may also be the chance to add EV chargers, supporting the current Labour government’s target of having 300,000 charge points across the UK by the end of the decade. This installation is an example of how other
leisure centres and local authorities could potentially lower energy costs and emissions by generating energy on-site. In fact the collaboration between RenEnergy UK, Braintree Council and Witham Leisure Centre management should provide other local authorities with an idea of how to approach these issues. By working together with strategic partners to come up with detailed plans and execute them successfully, targets can easily be reached. Mark Wilson, sustainability manager at
Braintree District Council, said: “We are beyond impressed with the work RenEnergy UK has done to install these solar panels for us. Right now, lots of local councils up and down the
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country are looking for sustainability solutions – and we’ve shown stakeholders that investing in this has immense benefits for everyone.”
CLEAN ENERGY RenEnergy’s work on the Witham Leisure Centre forms a part of the company’s role in the clean energy rollout in the UK. In fact its recent research has already found 629,000 car park spaces with the potential to have solar carports installed across a range of commercial sites that utilise high amounts of energy. This includes sports facilities such as Witham Leisure Centre, in addition to hotels, educations facilities, airports, hospitals and medical facilities. By combining
parking shelter with solar panel installations, businesses can make their journey to reaching the point of energy independence easier. Damian Baker, managing director of RenEnergy
UK, said: “As a company, we’ve seen an increase in the number of businesses and local authorities asking us to help them make their workplaces more sustainable. It’s great to see more companies starting to take notice of how seemingly small things can make a huge difference. “We were able to maximise less space by using rooftop and carport arrays, both of which haven’t disrupted the daily operations of the leisure centre. It’s more than possible to reach environmental targets without reducing the operational efficiency of the buildings we work on.”
RenEnergy UK
www.renenergy.co.uk
An education in air source heat pumps
Air source heat pumps from Hamworthy Heating have been installed for the underfloor heating of an extension at a primary school in Cambridge. To meet the heating requirements and ensure an even distribution of heat, the new system includes two 290HT 27kW Tyneham heat pumps with natural refrigerant, configured in an hydraulic cascade set up. The heat pumps are connected to a 500L buffer cylinder, which also features an electrical heating element, controlled by a BMS. The buffer connections, Exogel anti-freeze valves and degassers, were also supplied by Hamworthy Heating.
According to the company, the cascade arrangement allows for the heat capacity to be equally
distributed according to the specific heating demands of the building. The cascade set up enables the units, which have inverter controlled compressors, to adjust their capacities as needed, enabling the school to achieve a more accurate match to its actual heating demand and optimise performance. In addition, the new system can adjust to keep the heat pumps operating at their most efficient state. Of further benefit, the 290 HT installation also provides the school with increased protection
against breakdowns. As a result, the system supplies the new building with uninterrupted heating and, as the workload is shared across two Tyneham heat pumps, stress and wear on individual components is significantly reduced. Following a previously successful collaboration, Sotham Engineering were keen to stick with a brand they could trust on the second phase of its project. Ricky Harris from the company said: “We choose Tyneham heat pumps due to their overall performance and efficiency. Having collaborated with Hamworthy during the first stage of the project, we found them easy to work with and always available to provide support and assistance.” With noise levels as low as 64db(A), the latest 290HT heat pump range is available in five
outputs from 15kW through to 50kW. It can, however, be cascaded to achieve higher outputs, and can be combined with alternative Hamworthy Heating products to achieve a low-carbon hybrid heating system.
Hamworthy Heating
www.hamworthy-heating.com T: 01202 662552
ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Summer 2025
www.essmag.co.uk
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