Perdiswell Leisure Centre solar panel plan cost increases

The installation of panels at Perdiswell Leisure Centre will cost £480,000, plus an additional £350,000 to re-felt the sports hall roof and £35,000 in fees.

Funding worth £195,750 is coming from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund.

Worcester City Council’s policy and resources committee will decide next week whether it wants to continue with the project.

The committee had backed plans in July last year to install solar panels that would generate 154 megawatt hours (mwh) at a cost of £274,000.

But after more detailed feasibility work, it was found a photovoltaic array that would generate 230mwh could be installed, albeit for a greater cost.

This would give further reductions in carbon emissions and in electricity costs for Freedom Leisure, which runs the leisure centre.

The council says it would get an annual return on its investment of about 11 percent.

“The estimated return calculation excludes the cost of the planned maintenance on the sports hall roof as this cost would be incurred in any event,” it says in a report going before next week’s policy and resources committee.

The panels would be installed above the sports hall and the more recently-constructed swimming pool building.

“Both roofs have been surveyed and given the age and condition of the sports hall block roof, the council would be recommended to replace the flat roof covering as planned maintenance before installation of the PVs.

“Otherwise, the PVs are very likely to have to be disassembled and temporarily taken off the roof to allow repairs or replacement of the roof covering during their life.”

In order to press on with the plan, committee members will need to approve the spend of another £154,750.

The leisure centre also wants to install destratification fans, which circulate warm air to balance the temperature of a room and reduce heating demand.

The council's policy and resources committee meets at the Guildhall in Worcester next Tuesday (September 3).