Westmorland and Furness Council completes the next phase of decarbonisation work at Appleby Leisure Centre

Appleby Leisure Centre reopened recently, following the completion of the latest round of works, which will bring significant energy saving benefits to the building.

Triple glazing was installed in the autumn and 190 solar panels have now been fitted to the roof, thanks to funding from Sport England and Westmorland and Furness Council.  Over the past few weeks, a £388,000 investment from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has enabled the first stage of major boiler replacement works to take place.  

This works form part of a wider project, funded through a £1.75 million grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is delivered by Salix and run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The grant has helped replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps at key council buildings.  This supports the council’s decarbonisation plans, aimed to get Westmorland and Furness to a carbon net zero position by 2037.

The council will match fund a minimum of 12% of the project costs from their prioritised capital maintenance budget, taking the total project value to over £2 million.

The estimated annual total carbon emissions saved from carrying out the above projects is 343.2 tCO2e, the equivalent of driving around the world 52 times.

Appleby Leisure Centre reopened successfully following work to remove the air handling unit and complete preparatory works for the replacement of the existing gas boiler with a more energy efficient air source heat pump.  The building’s plant room pipes have also been insulated to reduce heat loss.

Since 2020, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has enabled public authorities to fund works to decarbonise their estates in support of national decarbonisation targets. Salix is currently delivering the final phase, Phase 4, projects up until 2028.

Westmorland and Furness Council previously won funding under the Low Carbon Skills Fund award, also delivered by Salix and now closed. This helped fund decarbonisation assessments at all 69 council managed schools and funding for triple glazing and solar PV works at Appleby and Penrith Leisure Centres from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund.