Top tips for decarbonising leisure properties

Swimming pools, gyms, spas, cinemas, hotels, holiday parks and other leisure businesses typically consume a lot of energy. These vast spaces need heating, cooling, hot water, lighting and ventilation, and energy, as you’ll be acutely aware, is not cheap.

Given the rising energy costs, regulatory requirements and growing consumer awareness of climate issues, decarbonising leisure properties is not just sensible; it’s strategic. But where should you start with your leisure building sustainability plans? 

Here we outline the most effective steps you can take towards leisure property net zero, including the most impactful decarbonisation measures and their challenges.

Start with an energy audit 

You cannot make meaningful improvements to leisure building sustainability until you have an accurate picture of where energy is used and wasted. An energy audit unlocks that information, so you can make cost-effective and impactful decisions. 

An energy audit consists of:

• Initial consultation - understanding your decarbonisation goals, budget and the energy requirements of your building
• On-site inspection - assessing your current building systems, such as heating, lighting, windows, insulation and equipment, to identify visible inefficiencies and maintenance issues
• Data collection -  inspecting energy meters, utility bills, building plans and occupancy schedules to develop a picture of your energy use
• Energy use analysis - analysing your energy consumption patterns and benchmarking performance against similar buildings
• Identifying opportunities - highlighting inefficiencies and identifying energy-saving measures, such as insulation upgrades, heat pumps and LED lighting
• Recommendations - creating a prioritised action plan with findings, suggested improvements, savings estimates, costings and payback periods 

The most cost-effective way to start decarbonising leisure properties is usually to focus on passive energy-saving measures. 

Passive-energy saving measures are strategies that reduce energy use without relying on new systems or active technologies. Working with what you have can lead to low-maintenance, low-cost and long-term improvements.

Areas to focus on include:

• Sealing and draught proofing - There’s no point spending thousands on heat pumps or solar panels when you have leaky doors, windows or pipes. This is particularly important for leisure buildings with large external surfaces.  
• Insulation and thermal performance - Many leisure facilities are housed in older buildings that were not designed with energy efficiency in mind. High ceilings, large open spaces and extensive glazing can lead to significant heat loss in winter and excessive heat gain in summer. Adding insulation to roofs and walls, and upgrading single-pane windows, can improve airtightness and thermal control, while door upgrades can prevent draught and heat loss. 

The challenge: Some of these improvements can have a relatively high capital cost. They may also disrupt operations. 

Leisure facilities typically have high hot water and heating requirements due to pools, spas and laundries. Gas boilers have traditionally met these demands. However, replacing those boilers with heat pumps that transfer heat from the air or water can make a substantial dent in energy use and carbon emissions.

The requirement to keep swimming pools at a constant temperature makes them particularly energy-intensive. If you do not have the budget to install a heat pump, measures such as pool covers, efficient filtration systems and optimised heating schedules can help reduce energy use and spend.  

The challenge: These changes yield substantial environmental benefits but often require higher capital investment. They are typically undertaken as part of major refurbishment programmes or supported by external funding.

Switch to LED lighting and automation

The significant lighting requirements in the sector make switching to LED lighting a cost-effective and easily implementable leisure building sustainability win. 

LEDs use much less electricity and last far longer than older halogen and fluorescent lights. They are also ideal for illuminating external areas, such as pathways and car parks, helping to reduce energy bills and maintenance costs over time.

You can take this a step further by introducing lighting automation to ensure lighting systems operate only when needed. That’s particularly beneficial in spaces with inconsistent use patterns. Installing motion sensors in changing rooms, toilets and corridors, and using zone lighting to control large, multi-use spaces such as sports halls, can be particularly effective. 

The challenge: Implementing LED lighting and automation in older leisure buildings can be costly, particularly where facilities have outdated electrical infrastructure. Zoning and sensor placement also require careful planning.

It’s not just the building envelope that can benefit from insulation upgrades. Upgrading insulation around boilers, pipework and heat exchanges in plant rooms is another positive step towards leisure property net zero. 

This cost-effective measure can improve system efficiency, reduce heat loss and minimise the strain on mechanical components. Using thermal imaging equipment is an excellent way to identify the areas with heavy heat loss. 

The challenge: Access to boilers, pipework and heat exchanges can be limited in older buildings. Upgrading insulation can also be labour-intensive.  

Use smarter ventilation strategies

Proper ventilation is essential for health and comfort in leisure properties, particularly in pools, gyms, spas, saunas and changing rooms. However, heating or cooling outside air, particularly when ventilation systems are oversized or poorly controlled, can be a significant energy cost.

Some effective decarbonising methods include:

• Adopting demand-controlled ventilation with humidity, occupancy and CO2 sensors to adjust your ventilation rates accordingly
• Splitting larger buildings into ventilation zones based on use and occupancy
• Using heat recovery ventilation systems to reclaim thermal energy from the air leaving the premises to heat or cool the fresh air coming in

The challenge: Installing smart ventilation strategies may require you to upgrade or reconfigure existing HVAC systems. You also have to maintain and monitor them regularly to ensure optimal performance.

Invest in renewable energy and on-site generation

Any conversation about decarbonising leisure properties should include a discussion around clean energy generation. The initial investment can be high with this approach, leading to longer payback periods. However, the savings from on-site renewables, such as solar PV, heat pumps and battery storage, can be significant over the long term.

Leisure facilities often have large footprints and roof areas, making them a good fit for solar panels. However, depending on your location, it may be worth exploring other options, such as biomass and small wind turbines.

The challenge: You may need to upgrade your existing electrical infrastructure to accommodate new systems. Planning constraints, grid connection issues and limited incentives can also affect feasibility. 

At Eddisons, we offer standalone and end-to-end leisure property services, from building consultancy and property management to decarbonisation projects that improve your energy efficiency, reduce costs and drive you towards your net zero target.

Find out more about our services, including energy audits, and get in touch to discuss your sustainability goals with our leisure property specialists.