Did you know your local leisure centre may be contributing between ten to 40 per cent of your council’s total carbon emissions?
This is particularly true for older or energy-inefficient centres built in the 70s, according to research by the District Councils Network (DCN).
A call for renewable energy
The Local Government Association (LGA) has now called for councils to take action to reduce carbon emissions from leisure centres by implementing and monitoring efficiency measures.
It recommends councils examine options for renewable energy production such as installing solar carports, citing those who have already implemented the measures saving more than £40,000 and 98,520kgCO2e in just one year.
In addition, the LGA is calling for leisure centres to provide solar powered EV charging points for staff and customers.
Solar carports
Solar carports are ideal for leisure centres.
Not only do they provide protective cover for staff’ and customers’ cars in the rain and extreme heat but generate energy, slashing both energy bills and carbon.
They can also produce more energy than traditional solar panels because many roofs can be limited by orientation and design.
As the UK heads towards reaching its net zero targets, installing solar carports also visibly demonstrates you are serious about cutting carbon emissions.
Solar canopies
In the same way, solar canopies provide leisure centres with a great way to cut energy bills and lower your carbon footprint.
Solar canopies are canopies fitted with solar panels on top of the roof or within the roof, with the latter allowing light into the room below.
The structures can be easily added to a building providing you with extra space or with a walkway connecting two buildings.
They can also make very attractive entrances to leisure centres where people can wait out of the rain or heat as well as covered spectator areas.
Many leisure centres struggling with available space use solar canopies to provide a cost-effective dining area for customers where snacks and drinks can be sold.
The dining area can then be hired out for special events such as birthday parties helping to bring in extra cash to leisure centres struggling with bills.
Solar canopies are especially useful for hard-to-reach spaces such as courtyards as they don’t need heavy machinery to install, causing minimal disruption to everyday activities.
Solar carports and canopies provide EV charging
According to the RAC, there were over 1,360,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on UK roads and the number is only going to increase as EV cars come down in price.
Both solar carports and solar canopies provide an ideal option for EV charging for staff as a perk of the job and for customers, providing an additional revenue stream for leisure centres squeezed by high bills and less funding.
There are plenty of studies to show that the majority of the UK population want to see green energy measures introduced into our lives and, as a consequence, leisure centres may see an increase in customers and customer loyalty.
Providing much needed EV charging also helps to increase footfall and dwell time which can increase your revenue.
Provide excellent bike storage
Many customers can be put off from cycling to a leisure centre because of the inadequate number of bike racks.
As well as EV charging facilities, leisure centres can encourage customers to cycle by providing secure, well-lit and sheltered bike storage areas.
The best time to go green
If you operate a council-funded leisure centre, it is a great time to install green energy through the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which provides grant funding towards carbon reducing measures.
You can find out how much you can save by installing Solspan solar carports by using our Solar Savings Index, an easy-to-use calculator and our experts are happy to talk you through the process.
In addition, our Spaceshade experts are very happy to advise you on installing solar canopies and talk you through how much you can save.
