Revitalising St Briavels Pavillion

From LED lighting to improved insulation, St Briavels Pavilion is slashing energy use and paving the way for a sustainable community future.

Background

The operation of St Briavels Pavilion had become unsustainable due to rising energy costs. In response, the committee conducted an energy survey to gain a clearer understanding of their current energy consumption and identify potential areas for energy savings.

Project

The Pavilion committee successfully secured match funding from the Forest of Dean District Council through the Community Infrastructure Grant.

This funding enabled them to:

• upgrade all lighting fixtures, including security lighting, to energy-efficient LED bulbs
• install light sensors in certain areas
• replace light switches in the main room to allow for selective lighting, reducing the need to illuminate the entire space
• enhance the loft insulation for improved energy efficiency
• reconfigured the shower facilities in the changing rooms, allowing individual showers to be used without activating all showers at once, to further reduce energy costs.

Results

St Briavels will be able to evaluate the impact of their retrofit efforts by tracking electricity and oil consumption during the winter of late 2024 and early 2025.

The energy survey predicts that the upgrades will result in:

• 20% reduction in electricity usage
• annual fuel savings of £1,309
• a reduction of 2.09 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually

St Briavels Pavilion committee has future ambitions to install solar panels and a ground-source heat pump, aiming to significantly lower their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible.

“The energy-saving improvements were crucial in reducing our energy consumption and making the pavilion more sustainable, ensuring it can continue to serve the community for years to come.”

Quote from committee member Julian