Councillors Tour New Solar Facilities at Westminster Leisure Centre

Vital Energi have completed the rooftop solar PV project at the Queen Mother Sports Centre as part of a £13m RE:FIT project and the leader of Westminster City Council, Cllr Rachael Robathan joined other council members and Vital Energi for a tour of the installation.

The work at the Queen Mother Sports Centre is one of twelve solar installations taking place which will see approximately 1550 panels installed. These panels will generate 550kw of zero-carbon electricity and result in over 40 tonnes of carbon reduction per year.

This is a major project which will see improvements delivered to 70 buildings and reduce emissions by almost 1,700 tonnes per annum. By harnessing a range of technologies and focussing on carbon reduction, this project will play a large role in helping Westminster City Council reach their net zero target. We are delighted that the solar panels are now in place and will deliver zero carbon electricity to both the Queen Mother and Moberly leisure centres, but this work is one small part of a much bigger project and we look forwards to the other energy saving technologies coming online and further reducing carbon emissions.

Scott Lutton, Operations Director, Vital Energi

Attending the event were:

Cllr Rachael Robathan – WCC – Leader of the Council
Cllr Paul Swaddle – Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Property
Cllr James Spencer – Cabinet Member for City Management
Gerald Almeroth – Executive Director for Finance and Resources WCC
Claire Barrett – Director of Corporate Property WCC
John Hamilton – Head of Service Development WCC
Paul Casey – Energy Officer WCC
Scott Lutton – Operations Director Vital Energi
David Oatt –Operations Manager, Vital Energi
Paul Carnew – Senior project Manager
David O’Dowd – Senior project Manager

Works included in the RE:FIT project include:

Lighting – Replacing approximately 12000 lights across 60 Westminster sites.
BMS – Optimisation works and upgrades to BMS systems across 18 Westminster sites.
Thermal Insulation – Improvements have already been made to 22 of the council’s sites.
EC Fan Upgrades – Replacing 46 fans across two sites.
Heat Pumps – Installing 1.8 MW of air source heat pumps to provide lower-carbon heating.
Draught Proofing – completing works to seal windows/doors to reduce heat loss on X sites.

The RE:FIT project will see energy upgrades delivered at council-owned buildings throughout the City of Westminster and is funded by a £13m grant via the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and is the largest grant of its type to be awarded to a London Local Authority.