Community venues to be offered advice to reduce carbon footprint

Community and volunteer groups running venues including village halls, sports and leisure facilities, theatres and museums in North Yorkshire are being offered access to expert advice on how to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and save on running costs.

Up to 50 buildings will be included in a free study, which will show members of community and volunteer groups how to reduce the carbon footprint of their buildings, enabling them to become more energy-efficient and to save money.

The project will be funded by £75,000 from the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is open to venues managed by the community and voluntary sector. Elderly people’s residential care homes are also included.

The study will create a decarbonisation plan for each building, highlighting opportunities to decarbonise properties through energy efficiency measures, such as double glazing and insulation and improved heating options, as well as considering renewable energy such as solar power and battery storage.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for climate change, Cllr Greg White, said: “We all need to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change. Improving the carbon footprint of our buildings and making them fit for the future is a key aspect of that.

“Many community-managed buildings tend to be older and can be poorly insulated. They are often ‘off gas’ and rely on either expensive and high-carbon electric or oil and gas for heating. This study will show organisations where there are opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases and to save money.”

Venue managers will be asked to provide information on their heating costs and patterns of usage, and there will be a site visit to each building.

The free study will provide venue managers with information to enable them to make decisions on any alterations needed and how these might be funded, but there is no commitment to implement the findings.

The surveys will take place between January and March 2023 and will be carried out by Align Property Partners, a company that provides property design services and is wholly owned by North Yorkshire County Council.

For your venue to be considered for inclusion in the study, register your interest by January 10 by contacting Fiona Protheroe at FProtheroe@cravendc.gov.uk or on 01756 706230.