Love Withington Baths, the non-profit organisation that operates Withington Baths and co-working space Withington Works, has today announced exciting plans to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and enhance energy efficiency thanks to a £105K grant secured from Sport England under the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund. The grant attracted 700 applications for funding, with a combined funding request of four times the available amount.
Since assuming management of the facility in 2015, Love Withington Baths has been committed to reducing its carbon footprint. Sustainability initiatives completed to date include the recent installation of an Air Handling Unit and the addition of double glazing to the new roof windows over the pool and both studios.
Now, with the support of this grant, Withington Baths will embark on two crucial projects aimed at further reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The first project entails introducing state-of-the-art boilers to replace outdated, non-condensing models which date back to 1995. This upgrade is expected to decrease carbon emissions by approximately 30%, equivalent to 24 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The second project will see the reintroduction of a pool cover to retain warmth overnight, after the original cover sustained damage before Love Withington Baths assumed control of the facility. This reintroduction will see an anticipated reduction of an additional 7 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
Paul Smith, Managing Director of Withington Baths said: “Winning the grant represents a significant step forward in our journey towards sustainability. Not only will it help us to further contribute to a greener environment, but it will also result in substantial cost savings on energy bills, enabling us to allocate more resources to further restoration projects and facility improvements. Looking further ahead, Love Withington Baths is committed to exploring additional opportunities for carbon footprint reduction through the integration of renewable technologies.”