sustainable buildings & energy management
Time to take energy reduction seriously
Energy prices are at an all time high and set to increase. Neil Bland from Leisure Energy discusses what you can do to reduce your costs.
with an inflation-busting increase in utility costs as a result of the weaker pound, higher delivery costs and Climate Change Levy (CCL) /legislative levies. Indeed, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy December 2018 report found that between Q3 2017 and Q3 2018 average industrial energy prices, including the CCL, rose in real terms by 24 per cent for gas and by 10 per cent for electricity. Couple this with increased staff costs and greater competition for the leisure pound, and this puts incredible pressure on the bottom line and can seriously threaten the viability of the sector. Leisure centres also produce a great
OF the UK’s more than 5,000 public leisure centres approximately 3,000 are 20 years old or more. As such, they are less energy efficient due to their ageing heating and ventilation systems and other associated plant. Energy is the second highest overhead for leisure centres. Today’s operators are dealing
deal of carbon emissions and if nothing else, we should be looking at ways to reduce these emissions to protect our planet for future generations. In fact, the Carbon Trust estimates that if leisure centres were to reduce their energy consumption by 10 per cent, this would result in a saving of more than £70m. So how can operators reduce their
carbon footprint and the impact of high energy costs? Here are a few suggestions: • Energy and carbon reduction needs to be ‘driven’ and ‘owned’ by the MD/CEO of the organisation
• Energy needs to be given the same
priority as gym membership or swimming lesson income with monthly KPI reports to the board
• Audit energy usage to know how much is spent, used and wasted
• Look for the easy wins to reduce consumption – control and conserve
• Talk to the landlord (the council in most cases) about plant replacement to help reduce operational energy costs
• Appoint an energy reduction company or an energy manager who can investigate energy conservation measures across the estate
• Employ/use an energy procurement company to ensure the best possible price for energy
• Train staff to be competent in reducing and monitoring usage. With so many emerging energy saving
technologies, it’s difficult for operators to be ahead of the game. Many choose to work with a specialist energy reduction company, who can monitor their energy usage and produce cost effective and technologically advanced energy conservation solutions. Given the financial pressures leisure
operators are currently facing, now really is the time to take energy reduction seriously.
www.leisure-energy.com
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leisuredab.co.uk
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