Harrogate Borough Council has been awarded more than £2.4million to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions at the Hydro and Harrogate Convention Centre.
The funding has been provided thanks to a successful bid from the borough council through the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) public sector decarbonisation scheme.
At the Hydro the existing gas boilers will be replaced with heat pumps, along with the installation of solar panels as well as metering and energy monitoring and control systems.
Lighting will be converted to LED at Harrogate Convention Centre, along with solar panels and air source heat pumps installed, variable speed drives to control the fans as well as pipework insulation.
It is anticipated that these carbon reduction schemes at the Hydro will reduce emissions by some 577 tonnes per year and at Harrogate Convention Centre more than 70 tonnes per year. This will assist Harrogate Borough Council in meeting its vision to have a net zero carbon economy by 2038.
The scheme provides grants for public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures. The successful bid for the Hydro was £1,838,338, with Harrogate Convention Centre receiving £583,914.
Kathryn Daly, Harrogate Borough Council’s head of place-shaping and economic growth, said:
We have ambitious plans to ensure our own operations and buildings will be clean, efficient and have a net zero carbon economy by 2038. This government funding provides a significant step to allow us to achieve this.
Once formal approval has been given at the council’s cabinet on 31 March, the work will start in the coming months.
