The works will save the council around £200,000 a year on energy bills
Hull City Council’s cabinet have approved plans to progress with the decarbonisation of four key city centre buildings. The work, which will help the council achieve its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030, will include the four buildings being connected to the upcoming Hull District Heat Network.
At a meeting held on November 24, members of the council’s cabinet accepted £4.94m of Government funding and agreed allocate £1.78m of match funding from existing council budgets, to support the delivery of the buildings’ decarbonisation. The Government funding comes in the form of Salix 4 funding which is designed to decarbonise public sector buildings across England.
The four buildings are all publicly owned and in the city centre. The report presented to cabinet detailed the work planned for each:
- The Guildhall: Repairs to the roof and building and reconfiguration and maintenance within the coroner’s area, replacement of one of the lifts together with comprehensive enhancements to the insulation and windows within the building, Solar Photovoltaic cells, and the management system for maintenance and connection into the District Heat network.
- The City Hall: Maintenance to the basement, enhancements to the insulation and maintenance, air handling, heating management system and connection into the District Heat network.
- The Wilson Centre: Enhancements to the Building Management System, lighting, mechanical ventilation, Solar Photovoltaic cells, and connection into the District Heat network.
- The History Centre: Maintenance works, enhancements to the Building Management System, renewable energy through Solar Photovoltaic cells and connection into the District Heat network.
The council’s portfolio holder for the environment, Cllr Charles Quinn, said that as well as providing environmental benefits, the scheme will reduce the council’s energy bills by around £200,000 a year. The work will be done with “minimum disruption” to the buildings’ day-to-day uses, Cllr Quinn added. The leader of the council, Cllr Mike Ross, noted the “tight, challenging deadlines” in place, with the cabinet agreeing to achieving the milestones and completion deadlines of March 31, 2028.
Work on the Hull District Heat Network has been underway in recent weeks, having been coordinated to align with the repairs being made to Drypool Bridge. Much of Alfred Gelder Street had been dug up allowing for new pipes to be laid.
Is Hull the best place to live in Yorkshire? You can have your say by completing the poll below or by clicking here .