Combating climate change and reducing the environmental impact of the leisure industry are key challenges for pool owners and operators in England.
Following the COP27 climate change summit in Egypt, Oxford City Council detailed the steps it is taking to reduce carbon emissions.
Using £10.9m from the government’s public sector decarbonisation program provided by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and provided by Salix Finance, the council has already decarbonised the heating of three entertainment centers – Ferry, Barton and Leys. – and outdoor pool – Hinksey.
Some of the steps taken include the installation of air and water source heat pumps to heat swimming pools, batteries to maximize electricity consumption during off-peak periods and an investment of around £2 million in a local solar farm.
Overall, the installed heat pumps are expected to reduce CO2 emissions in the four buildings by 56%.
This is the equivalent of taking 208 vehicles off the road in a year, or one vehicle driving 2.5 million miles.
Paul Spencer, energy and climate change manager at Oxford City Council, said: “The council has declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has set itself an ambitious goal of zero emissions by 2030.
“With leisure centers accounting for more than 40% of the Council’s Scope 1 and 2 building emissions, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of these buildings is critical to achieving our zero target.”
Jane Nickerson, chief executive of Swim England, praised Oxford’s work in reducing carbon emissions.
She added: “Pool owners and operators in Oxford and many other parts of the country are doing a fantastic and commendable job of reducing the carbon footprint of their swimming and leisure facilities.
“We all want carbon emissions to come down and the pool network and public sector decarbonization schemes across the country, while not ideal, are a good example of how aggressive public investment can make a real difference.
“With tremendous advances in technology over the past decades, and a greater understanding and awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability, we know that replacing and, if necessary, upgrading our current aging pool inventory can lead to huge environmental improvements to make our swimming pools a greener.
Rebecca McNamara, project coordinator at Salix Finance, said: “We are delighted to be working with Oxford City Council on this exciting decarbonisation project, supporting their broader zero emissions ambition.
“It’s great to see the idea of ​​a Hincksey outdoor pool water source heat pump becoming a reality with PSDS funding, and heat pumps for the three leisure centers are playing a major role in reducing the Council’s carbon footprint.”