New boilers, solar panels and windows help reduce carbon emissions at Bassetlaw Council

The Queen’s Buildings, also home to Worksop Job Centre and Worksop Police Station, is to benefit from a £1 million grant from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy through the government’s competitive Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix Finance.

A survey was undertaken to identify ways of improving the Potter Street complex’s carbon emissions.

As a result, the funding will be used to replace the existing gas heating system with air source heat pumps, and solar panels will be installed on all available roof space to provide a source of renewable energy.

The works will be completed by late spring and are projected to cut the Queen’s Buildings carbon dioxide emissions by 65 per cent.

The air source heat pumps will rely on electricity to convert outside air into a fluid which is then heated up and pumped around the pipes in the building and into a total of 200 new, state-of-the-art radiators, which are currently being installed.

The energy efficiency of the building will also be improved through the installation of double-glazed windows, LED lighting, floor and loft insulation and an upgrade to the building management system.

As the building’s heating system is ‘end of life’ and needs replacing, the council said the grant will mean there is no extra burden for taxpayers.

The increased energy efficiency of the building will also mean it will cost less to heat, which, the council says, saves taxpayers’ money.

Mack Craighead, council climate change officer, said: “The building will be as efficient as it can be – there’s nothing more you can do to this building as it is now.

“The current decarbonising plan for the UK is electricity as far as possible. It’s the way forward.”

Coun James Naish, council leader, said: “Queen’s Buildings opened in 1981 and is our highest energy consuming property.

“This funding, which is specifically targeted at public sector buildings, will allow us to fully decarbonise and reduce emissions from the building by about two-thirds.”