Technologies: Solar PV, LED lighting

Location: Inch Park Community Sports Club, Edinburgh

CARES funding: £8,280 capital grant, Let’s Do Net Zero Community Buildings Fund

Date installed/operational: April 2022

Background

Inch Park Community Sports Club (Inch Park CSC) is home to three clubs: Lismore Rugby Club, Edinburgh South Football Club and Edinburgh South Cricket Club. Its venue covers around 9.8 hectares and facilities include a modern clubhouse, two full-sized rugby pitches, two football pitches and a cricket oval, complete with a synthetic wicket.

Inch Park CSC’s goal is to provide a vibrant space where sport and other activities can take place, catering for all ages and abilities. Through its clubs and partners, including Scottish Rugby and Cricket Scotland, it delivers various school and youth initiatives including Active Schools, and its clubs reach over 6,000 young people and adults each year.

In addition, over 1,000 local people pass through the doors of its purpose-built clubhouse every week to attend classes, meetings and social groups which include dance classes and baby sensory sessions. The clubhouse, which opened in 2011, is fully accessible and includes team changing accommodation, meeting spaces, and a bar and kitchen. These are available for hire by the community.

Project aims and objectives

Inch Park CSC’s board wanted to reduce the clubhouse’s running costs and work towards a more sustainable business model.

The board contacted Zero Waste Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Business Support Service (now Business Energy Scotland) for advice. Zero Waste Scotland carried out an energy audit and made several recommendations including installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) array and LED lighting throughout.

Joe Sneddon, Chair of Inch Park CSC, says: “Improving our facilities will result in lower energy use and lower running costs. This means that we will be able to reduce hire rates for community groups, because we base the hire rate on our running costs.”

Outcomes and achievements

In 2021, the board applied to the Let’s Do Net Zero Community Buildings Fund from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). It received a capital grant of £8,280 to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and upgrade its lighting units to LED lighting throughout.

The solar panels were installed in April 2022.

The energy audit provided by Zero Waste Scotland estimates the following annual energy and carbon savings:

• Solar PV: 8,763 kWh and 1.9 tonnes CO2
• LED lighting: 11,750 kWh and 2.5 tonnes CO2.

Source: local energy Scotland