Whether you manage an ice hockey rink, a sports hall, or a gym with an indoor swimming pool, sports and recreational facilities require considerable energy to run equipment, appliances, and lighting. The longer your operating hours are and the number of days you are open, the more energy your sports facility consumes, resulting in higher energy bills.
The high energy costs are challenging for indoor sports facilities, but reducing energy demand can lower costs and meet environmental and corporate sustainability goals. Continue reading to discover how indoor sports and recreational facilities can improve energy efficiency.
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Consider Switching Suppliers
The energy market is volatile, and gas and electricity prices can skyrocket anytime. If you are on a fixed-rate tariff and your contract is about to expire, you will automatically switch to a variable rate. The variable tariff unit rate and standing charge can increase and decrease anytime. Suppliers will increase your unit rate should the wholesale price change or Ogem decides to change the price cap.
In light of skyrocketing energy costs, switching energy suppliers is an option worth considering. Shop around for an energy provider offering a competitive and fixed-rate tariff. Learn more about how an energy broker can help you find a supplier to suit your business needs and your sporting facility’s budget.
Switch to Renewable Energy
By switching to renewable energy, indoor sports facilities can significantly reduce costs and reap financial and environmental benefits. Despite the high initial investment, the return on your investment is quickly justified.
With the options of wind, geothermal, and hydropower energy, solar power is the most popular choice for residential homes and businesses. Adding solar panels to your facility’s property will reduce your overall energy bill, but you can also sell excess energy back to the grid.
You become more energy-efficient as a business, lower your carbon footprint, and protect your sports facility from the ongoing increase of unpredictable energy prices. Additionally, you increase your business’s marketability to a new generation of consumers, becoming more environmentally friendly and socially responsible.
Insulate Your facility
If renewable energy sources are not within reach, consider insulating your facility. An insulated building requires less energy to heat your facility during winter and cool during the summer. The Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group’s (EEIG) study shows that insulation can reduce energy bill costs by £500, resulting in around £8 billion in annual savings.
Insulating your floors, walls, and ceilings can significantly reduce air conditioning usage. This can also be done for the building’s windows to prevent heat from escaping during the winter and overheating during summer.
Turn Off During Off-Peak Hours
Switch off any unused equipment, lights, and appliances during your off-peak hours. Gym equipment, for example, has a standby mode that consumes energy regardless of use. Select equipment and appliances that can be switched off that won’t affect your facility’s operation.
If your sports facility has an indoor swimming pool, consider using a pool pump with a timer that can be switched off during peak hours. This will significantly reduce energy consumption. Consider investing in energy-efficient sporting equipment and appliances. This will not only reduce your business’s energy bills but also reduce its electricity consumption during peak hours.
Energy Management for Swimming Pools
Indoor swimming pools consume quite a bit of energy. It requires energy to filter, pump, heat and cool the indoor pool, and electricity is needed to maintain the air temperature to prevent evaporation.
Water heat loss through evaporation is a big waste of energy, and the air temperature needs to be two degrees warmer than the water. To control energy consumption, use a pool cover when the pool is not in use. They help retain heat created by the swimming pool heater and prevent evaporation.
Consider replacing outdated pool pumps with energy-efficient pumps. Compared to a single-speed pool pump, a variable-speed pool pump can reduce your energy consumption between 60 – 75 percent. You can optimise pump performance and save energy using variable-speed filters with your pool pump.
While variable-speed pool pumps are costly to purchase and install, they reduce indoor pool energy consumption by more than half. Furthermore, a pool pump of this power probably won’t fit into a standard filtering system so that a dedicated filter system would be necessary.
Final Thoughts
Keeping an indoor sports and recreation facility running smoothly requires a great deal of energy, but making the appropriate changes can reduce consumption. Introducing energy-saving measures like investing in energy-efficient equipment and taking small steps to reduce excessive energy usage can considerably boost your financial savings.
