Having a sustainable facility

With rising energy rates, now is the ideal time to take a look at your facility and see where you could save energy and become more sustainable.

Club Matters

Club Matters have a wide range of tools, guidance and resources that cover all aspects of running a sports club or group – everything’s free, bitesize and simple to use.

"To successfully tackle climate change, we all need to change our behaviours and we need to do it now".

Check out their report 'Becoming more environmentally sustainable' to find out their hints and tips that clubs/facilities can follow to become more environmentally sustainable and keep energy consumption down.

Sport England: Reducing Energy Costs

Sport England have created some guidance that aims to give practical support on how energy efficiency measures can reduce running costs for organisations involved with small physical activity and sports facilities.

The guidance, and associated set of documents, describe the range of local physical activity and sports facilities and many types of energy reduction features that are available, as well as providing a framework for assessing energy costs.

Reducing Energy Costs

Saving energy

The cost of living crisis and rising energy rates are affecting everyone, including squash clubs and venues. Check out some quick tips below that can help to save energy.

Only use lighting when it’s needed

Only use lighting within the building when required, encourage players to turn off the lighting in changing rooms and toilets when not in use, or look to install sensor switches so they automatically turn on when in use and off when now. Pay-as-you-play lighting court meters can also ensure lights are only on when required.

Check and change your appliances

Switching to LED lightbulbs can improve energy efficiency; investing in energy saving hand dryers is also a simple step to help to save energy.

Heating

Understand the appropriate temperature levels for different areas of your facility and adjust where needed. Limit the heating to when the building is in use.

Check your boiler

Get your boiler serviced to check you are not using one that is costing you more money than it should. Replacing an old, inefficient gas boiler with a modern energy-efficient one could make a big difference to your payments.

Invest in energy-efficient equipment

Ensure any equipment you buy is the most energy efficient possible.

Deal with draughts

Another place heat escapes easily is through doors, you can buy stick-on draught-excluding rubber rolls from DIY stores and online retailers. Make sure any gaps around windows are plugged up too.

Insulation

Heat is lost predominantly through the walls (35%) and roof (25%). Check your club’s insulations, is it as insulated as it could be?

BASIS

BASIS, the British Association for Sustainable Sport, has provided expert help to sports clubs, venues, and governing bodies for nearly a decade, helping them to understand their impacts, set targets and implement processes to improve their environmental performance.

BASIS’ vision is to harness the power of sport to build a sustainable future and our mission is to empower sport in the UK to become a world leader in sustainability with the urgency dictated by the science. BASIS recognises the positive role sport plays in promoting healthy lifestyles and building communities. We also recognise the opportunity to leverage the power of elite sport to guide society towards social and environmental sustainability through providing leadership.

For ten years, the BASIS team has used its expertise and network:

To educate, share and develop best practice and integrate sustainable development principles into all aspects of the sport industry both in business and communities.
To encourage and facilitate collaboration between all those interested in and concerned with sustainability and sport.
To use the influence of sport to educate communities, participants and fans about sustainability issues.

More tips and advice coming soon.