Dorset Council takes action to reduce energy use in libraries

Dorset Council has installed a host of energy saving measures in Dorset libraries with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and energy costs.

Over the past six months, the council has installed a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures at fifteen library sites in the council area.

The measures – which range from highly efficient LED lighting to advanced building management systems – are part of the council’s response to the climate and green emergency and are expected to save over £40,000 a year in building costs. electricity and gas and to reduce annual energy consumption by more than 275,000 kilowatt hours (i.e. more than a quarter of the energy consumed last year on all 15 sites).

The work, which will make libraries more energy efficient and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, has been fully funded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Programme, a program set up by the government and implemented by Salix to reduce emissions from public buildings across the UK.

One of the sites benefiting from the scheme is Gillingham Ilibrary and museum, where solar panels were installed and state-of-the-art upgrades to its existing building management system. The solar panels installed on the roof of the library will provide carbon-free electricity to the site, while the building management system will ensure that the heating of the library operates as efficiently and efficiently as possible with minimal energy waste. . Combined, the measures installed at North Dorset Library are expected to save around 57,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year and an impressive 13 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Addressing the energy efficiency of council-owned buildings is one of the key actions set out in the council’s climate and green emergency strategy. With around 30% of the council’s emissions coming from its buildings, projects like this will play a vital role in helping Dorset Council achieve its goal of becoming a carbon neutral council by 2040.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council portfolio holder for highways, travel and the environment, said:

“I am delighted to see the steps taken to reduce the carbon footprint of our library service. Not only will these measures bring us closer to our net zero goal, they will also help protect our libraries from rapidly rising electricity and gas prices.

“Reducing running costs will help us continue to provide the wide range of services through our libraries which are so important to so many people in Dorset. And at the same time, accelerate our transition from fossil fuels to a cleaner future.

“A big shout out to Dorset Council’s Assets and Properties team, who played a central role in bringing this project to fruition, and to the Scheme Board who met regularly to ensure its success.”

Efforts to reduce energy consumption in Dorset libraries are part of a much wider program of work by the council to reduce the carbon footprint of its buildings.

You can follow the council’s progress in tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) on its social media pages and by visiting the CEE section of the Dorset Council website.