A major leisure centre decarbonisation scheme will slash energy consumption and carbon emissions from the facility.
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre is about to set the benchmark for net zero leisure facilities, with the installation of a Net Zero Pod to reduce operational costs, boost efficiency and cut carbon emissions.
Working with Alliance Leisure and renewable energy specialist Leisure Energy, the £4m project will bring air source heat pump technology to the centre, on Trent Road.
Carbon emissions from the three SKDC-operated leisure centres made up 41% of the council’s operational emissions due to the energy used for heating and hot water, as well as electricity to power the centres.
The innovative solution is expected to reduce the centre’s carbon emissions by more than 550 tonnes a year.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, Cllr Rhys Baker, said: “Heating and electricity costs for Grantham Meres Leisure Centre are substantial. And just like household bills, they have gone up significantly since 2021.
“This low-carbon heating system has been a major project for us. We wanted to design and install a modern, efficient, and cost-effective system to replace gas boilers that were well past their best. They needed regular repair and were getting more and more expensive to run.
“Installing this heating system will dramatically lower the centre’s energy bills, reduce its carbon footprint and help meet the council’s target of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030.
“It is another significant investment in the district’s leisure facilities in general, and in Grantham Meres leisure centre in particular. By acting early and looking to the future, we are helping secure Grantham Mere’s sustainability, and committing to high-quality, affordable leisure facilities for residents.”
The council was awarded £3,587,500 of grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme design and installation of a new low-carbon heating system, supported with funding from its own budgets to bring the total investment to just over £4m.
The two-year project will be completed by March 2026.
It follows the installation of 574 solar panels at The Meres after South Kesteven District Council secured a £399,000 grant from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund.
Replacing the leisure centre’s gas boilers, the Net Zero Pod will replace The Meres’ gas boilers within a stand-alone external acoustic packaged plant room. It has been uniquely designed for use within a leisure and swimming pool environment and is installed as a complete unit ready to be connected to the existing system.
Alongside the pod there is an evaporator fan deck housing fan units.
The pod will be built off-site to the required specifications at Leisure Energy’s Technology Centre in Kidderminster and transported to the leisure centre.
Benefits include the ease of installation and commissioning, the use of a natural refrigerant CO2 and the ability to deliver a Seasonal Co-efficient of Performance (SCOP) of 400%. This means that for every one unit of energy the heat pumps use, it can produce at least four units of heat. Gas boilers in comparison run at only 70-94% efficiency levels, whilst also producing greater carbon emissions.
Other benefits include a rapid response to changes in site demand and weather conditions.