£4.3M BLUEPRINT TO CUT COUNCIL’S CARBON FOOTPRINT
New boilers and solar panels will make buildings greener and lead to lower bills
AGEING boilers are set to be replaced and solar panels installed in city council buildings as part of a £4.3 million scheme to cut carbon emissions and energy bills.
Stoke-on-trent City Council has been allocated Government funding for a series of ‘decarbonisation’ projects. They include replacing the boilers at Fenton Manor Leisure Centre and the installation of solar panels at various sites.
Council leaders say the work will reduce the authority’s carbon footprint by up to 1,659 tons of CO2 a year, while saving an estimated £590,000 a year on energy costs.
According to a council report, the gas boilers at Fenton Manor are more than 40 years old and need replacing, with low-carbon air source heat pumps the chosen solution.
Other decarbonisation projects include:
The installation of photovoltaic panels on six council buildings;
A new building energy management system (BEMS) for 30 buildings, replacing the existing system, which is now considered obsolete;
Energy efficiency measures for heating systems connected to the BEMS.
Cabinet members will be asked to approve the acceptance of the grant funding, and authorise officers to start work on the projects, when they meet tomorrow.
The report to cabinet states: “There is a need to reduce energy consumption across the corporate estate. Energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures have been identified, varying from upgrading the building energy management system, installing control and sensor hardware, improving the thermal efficiency of building fabric (window proofing, roof insulation), upgrading and optimising energy distribution systems and installing photovoltaic systems. “A national grant funding scheme termed Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was opened, which could provide 100 per cent grant funding to cover the installation of such measures, and an application was submitted. This was successful.”
The decarbonisation work is due to begin in May, and should be completed by September. A total of £932 million from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has been directed to 429 projects across England. Other recipients include Staffordshire County Council, which has been allocated £3 million, and Keele University, which will receive £1 million for three separate projects. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced the funding alongside with a new Industrial Decarbonsation Strategy. He said: “The UK is showing the world how we can cut emissions, create jobs and unleash private investment and economic growth. Today’s strategy builds on this winning formula as we transition low carbon and renewable energy sources, while supporting the competitiveness of Britain’s industrial base. “Backed by more than £1 billion investment, today’s plans will make a considerable dent in the amount of carbon emissions emitting from our economy and put us on the path to eliminate our contribution to climate change by 2050.”