Walk into any leisure centre or swimming pool and you'll find more than just fitness facilities. These are the places where communities gather, where children learn confidence in the water, and where older adults stay active. But they are also among the most energy-intensive public assets we run. For councils under pressure to cut costs and carbon, the case for turning our leisure estate into climate leaders is becoming undeniable.
In Colchester, Leisure World recently completed a suite of green retrofits: solar-heated pool covers, variable-speed motors, and advanced UV water filtration. Supported by £167,636 from Sport England and £45,500 from the council, the results speak for and are forecasted to continue to speak for themselves: a 29% reduction in electricity use on ventilation systems, savings of over £100,000 a year, and 85 tonnes of CO₂ avoided annually¹. This is more than efficiency, it shows that local climate leadership can begin at the heart of our communities.
