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We’ve secured funding to install electric solar (PV) systems at Portishead Open Air Pool and Hutton Moor Leisure Centre in Weston-super-Mare.
Swimming pools require large amounts of energy to run, which carries a significant carbon cost as well as a financial burden for the operators.
At Portishead Open Air Pool, more than £140,000 has been secured to install a PV system and add solar thermal power to the site, to heat the water.
It is hoped the pool can remain open while these works are carried out.
Portishead Open Air Pool Trust, which manages the day-to-day running of the site, will organise and oversee the works.
At Hutton Moor, more than £129,000 has been secured to install a PV system and add insulation to the site’s plant room.
It is estimated this will save the leisure centre 28.17 tonnes of carbon every year.
To try and minimise disruption, this work is set to take place alongside other scheduled improvement projects.
The pool will remain open while the work takes place, and it’s hoped that the project will be completed within a year.
The grants have come from the Swimming Pool Support Fund, which is administered by Sport England and designed to help reduce swimming pools’ energy consumption and carbon output.
In total, 264 councils have received a share of the funding, from a pot of £20m provided by Sport England via the National Lottery, and just over £40m from the government as part of its commitment to supporting the long-term sustainability of public leisure.