West Wight Sports Centre Is Celebrating Going Solar,

Tue 20 Jul 2010

West Wight Sports Centre is celebrating going solar, with the help of a loan from the Isle of Wight Lottery.

The centre, in Freshwater, has installed an array of solar electric and solar hot water panels, and cavity wall insulation, which will cut its energy bills by at least £3,000 a year, at current prices.

Most of the cost was funded by grants from a range of sources but a £25,000 interest free loan from the Isle of Wight Lottery was needed to assist with cash flow during installation.

Centre Manager Clare Griffin said sources of funding also included the Community Sustainable Energy Programme, the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme, the Island Economic Partnership’s Leader programme, and a development grant from the Island’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty organisation.

Clare said: “The centre is run by a trust, which is a registered charity. We have always been keen to keep our costs down, and reducing our electricity usage will make a big difference to us.

“In the past, we have won awards for water conservation and energy management, so the installation of solar panels can be seen as a further step towards making us more environment-friendly, and saving money.”

The installation included 66 photovoltaic panels generating up to 11.88kw of electricity, and 27 solar hot water panels, which are used to heat water in the centre’s swimming pools.

Zoe Stroud, the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce Group Marketing Manager, said the Isle of Wight Lottery was delighted to support the initiative. “The Lottery exists to support local businesses and we were doubly pleased to work with the West Wight Sports Centre because the improvements they are making will not only help to secure jobs at the centre, but also help sustain the services it provides to the whole community.”