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ASK THE EXPERTS
RISK-FREE ENERGY SAVING BARROW FORWARD | OS GEN
Working with OS Gen, Barrow Park Leisure Centre currently saves over £30,000 a year on its energy and heating costs
At Barrow Park Leisure Centre, not-for-profit organisation Barrow Forward is partnering with OS Generation Group (OS Gen) to achieve material savings in its energy costs and carbon emissions. “As an on-site energy generation specialist, we’re typically able to save our customers 15–20 per cent on their energy costs,” confirms Andrew Crowley, OS Gen director. He continues: “Using technology such as solar panels, heat pumps and CHP units, we generate energy – primarily electricity and heat – locally to the building that will use it. This is cheaper than buying from the grid for two reasons. First, it avoids the inefficiencies and lost energy of national grid distribution and transmission via pylons, cables and so on. Second, it’s effectively a wholesale situation, so you avoid the taxes bundled up in retail energy costs. “OS Gen also funds the full cost of the technology, installation and commissioning, as well as the ongoing servicing and maintenance. There’s no financial or operational risk for the operator and no capital outlay on their part.
“The only requirement of the customer is that they commit to a long-term contract with us. We then sell the energy we generate back to them at a discounted rate compared to their contracted grid prices.” Significant savings At Barrow Park Leisure Centre, an energy-hungry 25m pool and large leisure pool sit alongside a gym and sports hall. Keen to invest its capital in frontline services rather than back office costs, in 2020 the operator went live on a seven-year agreement with OS Gen. An on-site CHP (combined heat and power unit) now provides the centre with typically 80+ per cent of its electricity requirements, “the majority of which is consumed by the pool and pool hall,” says Crowley, adding: “CHPs are the most beneficial technology in terms of price per kilowatt of energy produced.” The remainder of the site’s electricity comes from the national grid, which is also a back-up when the CHP is being serviced.
The heat generated during CHP combustion is also captured and fed into the building, providing a cheaper source for around 30 per cent of the centre’s heating requirements. Barrow Park Leisure Centre currently saves over £30,000 a year on its energy and heating costs, with zero capital expenditure or responsibility for ongoing maintenance. And all of this is done while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions, with the CHP a lower-carbon energy source than even an increasingly green national grid. “The current saving is 36 tonnes of CO 2 a year,” confirms Crowley. A no-risk solution “If the organisation had purchased the technology itself, annual savings would be closer to £100,000,” Crowley observes. “However, for smaller organisations with limited capital – and indeed for any business that doesn’t want the complication of becoming an energy company – it’s easier to outsource.”
Aidan Murphy, head of operations at Barrow Park Leisure Centre, agrees: “OS Gen provides Barrow Park with a significant discount on our energy costs. With no requirement for us to purchase, install or maintain the CHP solution, this frees up capital to spend on our frontline services and further improve the unique service we provide for our customers.” But with OS Gen discounts pegged to national grid electricity and gas prices – and specifically the ratio between the two, with gas required to generate electricity – what happens in the case of an energy crisis such as that triggered by the Ukraine war? “In most scenarios, we’re confident we will deliver savings compared to the national grid,” says Crowley. “In some cases we may need to taper the share of savings, reducing the customer’s discount to perhaps 8 per cent rather than 15. However, at no point will they be forced to pay more than on the grid. “If gas prices rise so high that we can’t save them money, we will simply turn off our technology and allow the customer to use grid energy until such a time as we can deliver discounts again. There is no risk to the operator.”
Barrow Park’s 25m pool and large leisure pool are high consumers of energy
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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