Past and present marry to build greener future
MARRYING STURDY old buildings to new energy-efficient heating measures will ensure some of Calderdale’s traditional landmarks can play a greener part in shaping its future.
On Monday, March 29, Calderdale Council Cabinet members will be asked to approve measures which will see carbon methods of heating six buildings with modern energy-efficient heating methods adopted that will suit them down to the ground.
Using grant funding of £2.8 million from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the changes will boost buildings from Todmorden to Brighouse.
The council will also put in £350,000 from the recent £1m million Carbon Neutral Fund, agreed as part of the council’s budget.
Bankfield Museum at Boothtown, Halifax; Brighouse Library; Todmorden Market Hall; Manor Health jungle experience at Halifax; Spring Hall register office at Halifax and Halifax Town Hall have all been identified as sites which would benefit, replacing existing gas fuel systems with electric heat pumps.
Last year the council declared a carbon emergency which set a target for the council and the borough of having net zero emissions by the year 2038, with significant progress made by 2030.
The sites identified are all older buildings, with ageing heating systems which are expensive to run.
The briefing paper to Cabinet members says replacing the systems with the new technology would cut the carbon footprint of these buildings by 82 per cent.
The Victorian buildings are of traditional heavy construction featuring substantial stone and brick exterior and interior walls.
The heavy construction results in the buildings having substantial thermal mass which naturally suits heating systems
that operate for longer periods at lower peak temperatures to maintain a steady building temperature, councillors have been told.
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