An expert team from Solarsense fitted some 800 solar thermal tubes on the flat roof of the leisure centre – adjacent to a previously installed solar PV system. Solar thermal tubes are designed to absorb the sun’s energy and transfer the heat generated into the site’s existing hot water storage – reducing the need for fossil fuels. Each year it will not only mean a huge reduction in energy bills but help the leisure centre save 12,897kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

The new solar thermal system will pay for itself many times over in the 25-year life of the tubes. By installing the system alongside their current solar photovoltaic (PV) system, the leisure centre has not only further reduced their carbon footprint but ensured the centre can continue to run for years to come by reducing the operating costs of the community facility.

Noel Hickman, General Manager of Everyone Active said: “The water for the swimming pool is pumped through and around the tubes to heat up and then returns to the water to keep it a nice 30 degrees.

“This is part of Bristol City Council’s initiative for their green plan. The works took about three months to input the solar thermal tubes.

He added: When the energy provided isn’t sufficient to keep the pool at 30 degrees the gas boilers will kick in, which will happen more during the winter months.

“At the minute we are very lucky with the weather we’ve had, we’re saving around six pence per kilowatt hour.”

The scheme has been so successful it will roll out across two other leisure centres across Bristol. For more information, please see the Easton Leisure Centre solar thermal case study.