West Sussex County Council Invests £8.2m to Slash Carbon Footprint

West Sussex County Council has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of several of its buildings through a substantial investment in new heating and insulation systems.

The council has spent £8.2m on these upgrades, which have been implemented in seven libraries, six fire stations, and a day centre.

The refurbishment includes the installation of heat pumps to replace gas boilers, solar panels, new windows, and improved building insulation. As a result, the council anticipates preventing over 200 tonnes of carbon from being released into the atmosphere annually. Storrington Library is now running entirely on renewable energy, thanks to two air source heat pumps and solar panels.

Deborah Urquhart, cabinet member for environment and climate change, highlighted the significance of this project, stating that the decarbonisation efforts align with the council’s goal to become a carbon-neutral and climate-resilient organisation by 2030. The initiative received a £1.4m contribution from the central government’s public sector decarbonisation scheme.