Work has now begun on the Council’s £1.2 million ERDF funded Zero Carbon Craven project to reduce carbon emissions in its buildings.  

Aireview House, the Council’s accommodation for the homeless has had 16 solar panels installed to provide electricity for the building. In the course of an average week so far this has saved 116kg carbon, the equivalent of planting five trees a week.  

Craven Leisure will also benefit with a planned installation of solar panels covering most of the roof due to start in September.  This is predicted to save the equivalent of planting over 2,000 trees a year. 

Investigations are also underway to see whether a system using bore holes to provide heating for the swimming pool at Craven Leisure will work.

Other work due to take place includes:

Skipton Town Hall will also have solar panels installed (subject to planning permission) and, if the budget allows, sheep’s wool insulation in the Concert Hall roof.

The Remembrance Chapel at the Crematorium will have the roof replaced and the Council is looking into the feasibility of including integrated solar panels and insulation as part of the project. The timing of this phase of the project will be carefully worked through to ensure the Chapel is still be available for visits and the work will have minimal impact on visitors.  Crematorium Services will not be affected.

An online monitoring system has been installed so the carbon emissions from energy use (to heat and light) can be monitored in the council buildings.  The system means the council can identify where high carbon emissions are coming from and find ways to reduce them. Future plans are to display daily carbon information at Craven Leisure, the Town Hall and the Council offices at Belle Vue Square so that visitors to the buildings can see how much is being used and saved. 

Lead Member for the Environment, Councillor Carl Lis, said: “I am so pleased work has now begun to retro-fit our buildings with the technology to reduce carbon emissions.

“This investment is a significant step forward in our move to being net zero by 2030 and I am looking forward to seeing how the project progresses over the coming year. An enormous amount of work is taking place to make sure the funding is spent in the most effective way to maximise the carbon savings we can make.

“It’s a challenging project due to the historic nature and age of some of our buildings and we also have to take into account sensitivities around the Remembrance Chapel when planning the work.  

“We are hoping this project will inspire our residents to install their own carbon saving measures and we will be launching a campaign focusing on this in the autumn.”

As part of the project the Council is also working with Yorkshire Housing to improve 28 properties across Craven, installing insulation, solar panels and heat pump systems.

More information on the plans can be found at https://www.cravendc.gov.uk/the-council/zero-carbon-craven/