Just over £127,000 is a lot of money for a bowls club to raise, especially when much of the work falls to members giving up their own time.
At Blaby Bowls Club, in Leicestershire, £127,088 is projected lifetime saving from a solar and battery installation over 25 years and beyond, showing how an investment in the clubhouse could keep paying back long after the current committee has handed over.
For anyone balancing a club’s books, the appeal is easy to understand. Money spent on electricity is funds that cannot go towards maintaining the green or improving facilities, yet some of that spending can be easy to overlook. The lights go off when the last person leaves, but the fridges behind the bar and in the kitchen stay on, using electricity between matches and through the night.
Running and funding a bowls clubhouse is an ongoing demand that gives management committees a reason to look more closely at how they power their buildings. Our work at Blaby offers a starting point, alongside smaller improvements that can help committees begin reducing costs.
What solar and battery storage could save
Blaby’s solar and battery system cost £16,970 as a cash purchase. The figures for the installation put the average first-year saving at £206 a month, equivalent to £2,472 over the year, with an estimated payback period of six years and four months. The longer-term forecast puts lifetime savings at £127,088.
Solar panels generate electricity during daylight hours, when refrigeration and other clubhouse equipment can use it. A battery stores surplus generation for later, helping the club continue using its own electricity after the sun goes down. For Blaby, the projected share of electricity demand met by the system rises from 47% with solar alone to 81% with battery storage. That uplift helps explain why a battery can be worth considering where equipment needs power overnight.
The system is forecast to generate the equivalent of 136% of the club’s annual electricity consumption, but the club will not always be able to use or store that power when it is produced. Once the battery is full, surplus electricity can be exported to the grid (which the club gets paid for), while the club may still need to buy electricity at other times when its own supply falls short. With battery storage, the system is expected to cover 81% of the club’s electricity needs, leaving around 19% to come from the grid.
These figures relate to Blaby’s system, and of course long-term savings depend on a range of factors, including future electricity prices and how a club uses energy. Each clubhouse needs its own assessment. What we can recommend, however, is that for clubs with sufficient reserves, paying upfront is a solid option. That is, provided the committee is comfortable with the investment alongside its other commitments. Clubs that lease their buildings will also need to establish what permissions are required.
Starting with the lighting
A committee does not have to begin with a solar installation. Replacing older lighting can be a more manageable first project, particularly where fluorescent fittings or halogen lamps are still in regular use.
The Government’s Energy Technology List says an LED solution can use 70% less energy than older fluorescent technology. The saving at your club will depend on what is being replaced and how long the lights are on.
Longer-lasting fittings can also mean fewer replacements to arrange, which can be beneficial when maintenance depends on volunteers finding time between other commitments. Clubs with floodlights should include those in the assessment, especially where evening play keeps them running for several hours. The aim is to provide the light players need while reducing the electricity used to deliver it.
Checking whether voltage optimisation would help
Voltage optimisation is another option to assess. A unit reduces the incoming supply voltage to a level suited to the equipment in the building, which can reduce electricity consumption where suitable appliances are receiving a higher voltage than they need. The benefit depends on the equipment and the measured supply voltage. Some appliances regulate their own power use and will offer little or no saving, so an older clubhouse should be assessed on what is inside it, rather than its age alone.
Voltage optimisation can work alongside solar by reducing demand from suitable equipment. Any planned lighting or appliance upgrades need to be considered at the same time, because replacing older equipment can change how much a voltage optimisation unit would save. The survey should establish whether there is a worthwhile case for your club.
Making fundraising go further
Anyone who organises fundraising activities for bowls clubs knows how much work is behind the money they raise. Reducing a recurring bill helps that money stretch further, month after month. Using less electricity, and generating renewable power on site where suitable, also helps clubs reduce the environmental impact of running their buildings.
For your club, the first step is to understand where electricity is being used, and which changes would justify their cost.
If you help run a bowls club in the East Midlands, contact Glenfield Electrical to arrange a free energy survey and discuss where your clubhouse could make savings.