The Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF) could help you to access funding for CHP at your leisure centre or public pool
Leisure centres and public swimming pools are facing dual challenges: the need to decarbonise, and the need to cut expenditure. With costs rising at the same time as pressure to transition to net zero is growing, it can be difficult to choose the right next step for your facility.
Your organisation is not alone in facing this challenge. To offer sector-wide support for decarbonisation and cost reduction, Sport England has invested £60m in the Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF).
Phase 1 of the SPSF is already well underway, with funding to be awarded in September 2023. This addresses immediate cost reductions for facilities vulnerable to closure, with £20m of Lottery Funding dedicated to this phase.
Phase 2, totalling £40m of Department for Culture, Media and Sport funding, will aim to improve the medium- and long-term energy efficiency of public swimming pools. Applications open on 4 September 2023 until 17 October 2023. Read on to find out how you can apply, and how we can support you.
To access funding for Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units through the SPSF, you’ll need to engage with your relevant local authority.
Individual pools or leisure centres cannot submit their own applications to the fund. Your local authority will need to co-ordinate a single submission on behalf of all public pools in their area, registering details of all the facilities for which they intend to apply.
Your local authority will be able to apply when the submission period opens, between 4 September and 17 October 2023. This isn’t a first-come-first-served system, so you don’t need to worry about submitting your application straight away. Instead, applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
At the application stage, you’ll need to already have some idea of what your CHP project will look like:
You’ll also need to provide the following information at the award stage:
Sport England will also host webinars on 11 September 2023 and 14 September 2023 to provide more information on the application process.
If you haven’t yet started this process, we may be able to help. Our CHP Design Guide could help you to identify the information you need, from initial idea through to long-term maintenance. Or, by getting in touch with us, you could access expert help from our highly-skilled CHP team.
Whilst we can’t submit your application, as your local authority is responsible for this, we can support you in collating all the information you need. We can help you to measure your annual gas and electricity consumption, draw up financial feasibility, and even recommend a design and location for your CHP unit.
We’re experts in managing the full scope of CHP, and have almost 40 years of experience handling integrated energy solution deployment. And, as part of Centrica plc, we’re a proud part of an over 200-year legacy of energy leadership. To find out how our experts can help you to gather all of the information you need, get in touch with us today.
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