Project Summary
The Hub supported North Somerset Council’s successful bid to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to replace gas boilers with heat pumps and make improvements to the ventilation system at The Campus, a multi-use community centre site in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset.
Background
A series of decarbonisation studies for public buildings were carried out by North Somerset Council in 2021 funded by the Community Renewal Fund, and in partnership with Bristol City Council. This was part of a project to identify and reduce carbon emissions from buildings within the Council’s control. Studies were carried out in a total of 30 buildings. Based on the results, North Somerset Council, with support and guidance from the Hub, prioritised The Campus for submitting a PSDS application.
Our Role
The Hub guided the Council’s project officers through the application and helped them to review and understand the recommendations in their building decarbonisation survey. As they had not applied for the PSDS fund previously, the Council were unsure of the detail required. Guidance provided by the Hub’s advisors broke down the stages of the process, and helped the Council identify energy-saving opportunities based on the estimated carbon savings and cost.
Location
The Campus is a 7,625 m2 community centre (multi-use site) in Weston-super-Mare, owned and operated by North Somerset Council. The site incorporates a number of council services including:
- Two schools
- A Children’s Centre
- A public Library
- Conference space
- Sports facilities
- A hydrotherapy pool
Technology
New air source and water source heat pumps will provide heating and hot water for the whole building. The existing gas-fired boilers and water heaters nearing the end of their service life, will be replaced by a heat pump-based heating system. The new system will offer a significant reduction in total energy usage and carbon emissions, thanks to the high efficiency of the heat pumps.
A new ventilation system will replace the existing ventilation units nearing the end of their service life. The new system will incorporate more efficient fans as well as heat recovery, hence reducing the peak demand of the building. Integrated controls and CO2 sensors will enable the new system to operate more efficiently, further reducing the total energy usage and carbon emissions.
Financing and Ownership
The project received capital funding from the PSDS fund, as well as match funding. The total project cost is £1.197m. The project is being managed by a Senior Project Manager within the Projects and Property Team in North Somerset Council, with assistance being provided by the Climate Emergency Team. The funding covers:
- Design
- Supply and installation
- Project management
- Risk
- Inflation
Results
In January 2023, the Council were awarded £886,000 from the PSDS fund, with £311,000 match funding being provided through the capital budget allocation.
The project work started in April 2023 and is due to be completed in October 2024. The project is forecast to deliver 120 tonnes of annual CO2e savings.
Benefits
The work has allowed further capital budget allocation to the Campus which will help to deliver additional carbon savings.
Next Steps
The Campus improvements are due to be completed in October 2024. The Council have applied to the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) with assistance from Bristol City Council and the Hub. If successful, they will be able to carry out further decarbonisation studies and detailed designs on selected buildings. They will then progress to apply for further PSDS funding for the buildings which are eligible going forward.
Key Facts
| Client | North Somerset Council |
| Strategic priority | Become a net zero carbon Council |
| Energy generation/saving | 120 tonnes CO2e annual saving |
| Timeline | Start April 2023, end October 2024 |
| Carbon saving | 120 tonnes CO2e annually |
| Project value | £1.197m |
| Find out more | South West Net Zero Hub PSDS Skills Service Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme GOV.UK site The Campus website |
