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Freedom Leisure Add Solar To One Of Its Largest Leisure Centres
Freedom Leisure manage some 130 leisure centres across England and Wales and together they clock up about 23 million visits each year. To meet their net zero targets, they’ve been investing in on site solar PV, using all the energy they produce and, in some cases, utilising batteries to store excess. One of their biggest centres in Swansea has just switched on this new phase of renewable energy.

At Freedom Leisure’s LC Leisure Centre in Swansea, they are not only ambitious to improve the health and wellbeing of the customers they serve, but to shape their thinking and share ideas about environmental sustainability after they’ve finished their swim or left the gym. It’s one of the group’s four key strategic objectives and an ambition that is shaping everything from carbon literacy training for staff to energy saving ideas which encourage visitors to think about greener travel, water saving measures in the showers or smart lighting use in studios.

But here, it is renewables that they’re celebrating as 600 solar PV panels have been switched on and have started producing the centre’s own energy. In this energy intensive sector (everything from hot showers to heated pools to studio lighting) where utilities are the second biggest cost after staffing, it is, they say, an especially welcome addition.

“Solar is helping us move forward in so many ways,” said Angela Brown, who joined the organisation over four years ago to lead on sustainability and environmental issues, and so build resilience across the business.

Brown explained that as they decarbonise leisure centres they need to mitigate against operational costs. For example, they know replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps can reduce carbon emissions by as much as 70% but also increase electricity consumption at the same time.

“While electricity is cleaner than gas it’s also currently four times the price.” added Angela.

“With utilities being one of our biggest costs, when there is instability in the market, we feel it. When prices rocketed in the energy crisis of 2022 our annual fuel costs across the group and all its centres went from £8m to £22m for the year. Having solar produce energy annually will help mitigate this and increase our energy security and our resilience. Here at this centre in Swansea, we are looking at a saving of around £44,500 each year and so will see a return on our investment within 3.5 years.”

SolarSense have helped Freedom Leisure install Solar PV at a number of their centres in England and were chosen to design and install the panels at this site in Swansea, the costs covered with the support of Sport Wales funding and Swansea Council.

“We needed a partner who could manage a number of installations and still provide us with the quality and care we wanted – a bespoke system for each centre,” said Angela. “Looking at a whole range of proposals – the designs, the teams, the company’s geographic footprint in the UK, and hearing other leisure operators’ recommendations – SolarSense proved the right fit.

“SolarSense not only have the expertise in solar PV but an ability to work collaboratively with our technical teams and other contractors, and with the councils who own our buildings,” advised Angela. “They also completely understood that we have to be sensitive to customers’ needs to ensure no interruptions to the service they enjoy.”

SolarSense – who work across the UK and earlier this year opened a regional office in Wales – said it has been incredibly exciting to work with Freedom in the past and to switch on solar for this latest project this month.

“These are energy-intensive environments delivering to customers across a wide range of facilities and across long opening hours,” said Managing Director Russell Mees whose team has completed Solar PV installations to a whole number of customers in the leisure sector including Swansea Arena, London Stadium, The Wave in Bristol and, of course, Freedom.

“Operators are looking for sustainable options and smart ways to manage energy costs without impacting on customer experience. We are seeing how solar PV can be part of that strategy and what it can do for this sector. Freedom Leisure are a fine example of that and believe the benefits are far reaching,” added Mees.

“We want staff to understand what we do and why, and so they can see the impact their centre is having. That builds confidence and motivation,” added Angela. “Now we’re on this road it is inspiring other changes, too, with a focus on continuous improvement in energy housekeeping so they can reduce their emissions per customer visit year on year.”

There is a social value to this, too and Freedom are sharing the impact of carbon and the reasons behind their solar panels.

“We want visitors to know the solar panels are up there producing energy for us, and to take this – and other green practises they learn about when they’re here – outside the leisure centre so it benefits the wider community. That work can be via daily messaging about switching off the lights or reducing time in the showers, or around bigger campaigns linked with initiatives like World Water Day. We ran a promotion for children coming into the centres, encouraging them to be positive water worriers and the response was amazing,” concluded Angela.

For more information contact Freedom Leisure on 01825 882140 or visit www.freedom-leisure.co.uk





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