After securing more than £300,000 of funding in early 2021 the Council’s property services team has carried out improvement works at all three leisure sites.

The sites have now been installed with LED lights in all indoor areas, along with further fittings outdoors, around the buildings and car parks (excluding play pitches).

Tiverton-based business, Earlsmann Lighting Limited, working with ASD Lighting, made all of the specialist chlorine resistant light fixtures for the Council which have been installed above our pools to reduce chlorine decay.

Earlsmann Lighting Limited is a family business which formed in 2006 and operated, initially like many, from home just outside Tiverton, before moving to the Howden Industrial estate. The LED lighting manufacturer and supplier works throughout the UK, supporting electrical contractors with lighting design using local contractors for installation as helping to lower their carbon footprint and keeping business local.

The measures will mean that over the life of the assets CO2 emissions will be cut by 520 tonnes, with an annual reduction of around £40,000 - £50,000 in electricity charges, as well as reduced maintenance costs. The lights also provide the additional benefit of automatically dimming with advanced controls if an area is not in use, further saving energy consumption.

The remaining funds, around £30,000, have allowed for further energy efficiency measures to be put in place, including the installation of an air source heat pump at Lords Meadow Leisure Centre, Crediton for reducing gas consumption.

All of the works were managed by the Council’s Corporate Projects Officer for Property Services.

*Pictured: Alan Thornton, Managing Director at Earlsmann Lighting Limited (left) and Andrew Busby, Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change at Mid Devon District Council (right) with the newly installed LED fittings at Exe Valley Leisure Centre.*

Andrew Busby, Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change said:

“Decarbonising the Council’s assets is one milestone along our journey to becoming net zero in our emissions. The completion of this work is fantastic news and a positive step for us in achieving our climate and sustainability goals.”

Simon Thornton, Sales Director for Earlsmann Lighting Limited said:

“We were pleased to use our expertise in lighting to assist Mid Devon achieve their carbon reduction goal.”

Find out more about Mid Devon’s Climate reduction and read about the work the Council has already completed as it works towards its ambitious carbon reduction plan.

You can also visit the Sustainable Mid Devon website to see what else we are doing to make Mid Devon cleaner, greener and more sustainable, or sign up to our email newsletter for the latest climate and sustainability news.