Our Green Achievements

Our Vision

“To minimise the impact of our activities on the environment and in naturally occurring systems”

The gas has seen an increase as a result of our CHP unit coming online in 2008.  A CHP unit uses gas to generate electricity and makes use of the heat produced as a by-product – making it extremely energy efficient.  As a result, imported electricity consumption greatly reduced.

Since the CHP has been in place we have managed to save considerable amounts of electricity. We looked to run the CHP for 24 hours instead of 17 hours back in 2010 and as a result we have saved even more overnight. In June 2010 we were awarded an 8 year contract where we have committed to improve on Utility consumption through investing on the latest technology. In November 2010 we invested £70,000 on variable speed drives which is a system that controls the rotational speed and electrical power supplied to our motors. Over the next 8 years we are looking to save a substantial amount of electricity with this system in place.

Our Environmental team have managed to devise an action plan to reduce consumption year on year. Since 2006 we have managed to reduce our annual consumption by 10,000 units of water.

What we did

• Ensured all staff followed ‘Good housekeeping’ procedures.  Essentially this involves turning things off when they are not needed.

• Conference calls to reduce impacts associated with travel
• Tailoring the ‘on times’ of our ventilation to ensure they closely match centre usage.
• Ensuring all temperatures are at recommended levels.
• We have insulated a number of areas in order to prevent heat loss.  In addition, we have had a thermal imaging survey to identify further areas of loss, which we took action on.
• The floor in the Aquadrome’s training pool is raised, so that it acts as a pool cover while the leisure pool has a ‘liquid pool cover’ – this forms a barrier on the water’s surface when the water is still, reducing evaporation.
• Timers were installed on vending machines to turn them off overnight.
• Save-a-flush bags have been put in toilets, saving 1 litre of water per flush.
• Smart meters have been installed through our partners in order to monitor ‘live’ gas and electricity consumption.
• External lighting has dusk sensors and timers fitted to ensure they are not on unless required.  A number of internal areas have motion sensor operated lighting, for example toilet lights are operated in this way.
• Two staff have had Carbon Reduction Leader training in order to assist them with utility savings and to help them inform and advise others.
• To help make customers aware of what they can do at home, we have created a Carbon reduction notice board.  The notice boards also detail our savings, and how we achieved them.