20/07/2023: Council to invest more than £500k to improve leisure centres' energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions

Breckland Council members have voted unanimously to invest more than £500,000 on initiatives which will make its leisure centres in Thetford and Dereham more energy efficient, reduce running costs, and cut carbon emissions.

Councillors at the meeting of Full Council on 13 July agreed to fund up to £530,000 across the two sites on a range of measures. These include: the installation of destratification fans, which optimise heating by capturing heat at the higher ceiling levels and forcing it downwards back into the room via ceiling mounted fans and reducing the need to use radiators; Dereham leisure centre will benefit from more efficient heating and lighting controls; and some of Thetford leisure centre's single-glazed windows will also be replaced.

Members heard that this investment would make the leisure centres more energy efficient, saving around £116,000 in energy costs each year (based on current energy prices). There would also be a reduction in total annual carbon emissions from both centres of just over 175 tonnes, further supporting the council's commitment to becoming more environmentally-friendly.

Cllr Paul Hewett, Executive Member for Property, Projects & Procurement at Breckland Council, said: "We know that our leisure centres play an important role in the health and wellbeing of our residents and this major investment will make them even more efficient in the future and help us further cut our carbon footprint."

Breckland Council has committed to cutting its carbon emissions and, through a series of initiatives, has already cut its emissions by almost 20%. A recent carbon audit showed that the council has slashed its carbon emissions by 17.5% since 2019/20, thanks to schemes such as switching its electricity supply to a Green Tariff provider which only uses 100% renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro.