Oh yes it will! Solar panels set to save thousands of pounds at The Baths Hall
31 July 2024
The council’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2030 takes another step forward with the installation of new solar panels at The Baths Hall.
Scunthorpe’s favourite panto dame, Annie Fanny, turned on the big switch that will see the venue’s energy bills slashed by more than half.
The Baths Hall joins Ashby Hub, North Lincolnshire Museum and Normanby Gateway in having panels installed.
The 158kW system involved 360 solar panels, which will save approximately 24 tonnes of CO2 a year and around £15,000 on electricity bills.
The nature of the building and its location meant a crane was needed for some of the tricky installation work.
It follows on from 12 local schools and John Leggott College, whose panels were all installed free of charge.
In the first three months of this year alone nearly 14 tonnes of carbon was saved across all the sites, and almost £23,000 in energy costs.
Cllr Neil Poole, cabinet member for sustainable council, said: “Since we launched this scheme with Towns Fund money three years ago it has been quietly getting on with a revolutionising energy use in our buildings.
“Local schools are saving thousands of pounds and hundreds of tonnes of carbon, and our public buildings are doing the same.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the next tranche of installations, which should see some of our partners benefiting from this successful scheme.”
The work is being carried out through community benefit society North Lincolnshire Community Energy (NLCE), which was set up with the help of a Towns Fund grant.
NLCE is committed to bringing local people and organisations together to tackle climate change and to reducing the use of non-renewable sources of energy.
A new share offer is planned for later this year, which will enable the scheme to be rolled out to even more educational and community buildings in North Lincolnshire.
For more information on the scheme and the next share offer – which offers a minimum £50 stake and a return on investment – go to the NLCE website.