Decarbonising Dartford
Local leisure centre and dozens of homes upgraded thanks to government funding
Situated in north west Kent, the borough of Dartford is home to more than 120,000 residents.
Dartford Borough Council, which supports these residents, is working towards a net zero target of 2030.
To reach this target, the council has a net zero strategy and action plan which clearly outlines its ambitions to decarbonise organisational emissions from council buildings, alongside upgrades to both private and social homes.
In a council-produced video, leader Jeremy Kite says: “We want a common-sense climate change strategy, one that really fits into people’s lifestyles, not something that’s going to disturb the way we go about business.
“The strategy is simply going to make sure we’re doing the right thing going forward for the environment.”
We want a common-sense climate change strategy, one that really fits into people’s lifestyles, not something that’s going to disturb the way we go about business.
Team Salix was on site in Dartford to meet with council stakeholders, contractors and residents and hear how government funding has supported energy efficiency upgrades at private homes, social homes and the Fairfield Leisure Centre.
To support this work, the council has received government funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1.
Our teams at Salix administer and assure both schemes on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Our director for public sector decarbonisation Ian Rodger was one of the attendees on the day. He said: “Heat in buildings, whatever type of buildings, is a huge challenge for the UK.
“It’s about 28 per cent of all our CO2 emissions that come from buildings.
“So, whether it’s someone’s house, the leisure centres they use, the hospitals they go to for treatment, anything like that, it’s really important that we address all of them.
“What we’ve seen in Dartford is that kind of complement with the work in the leisure centre to make that carbon neutral and all the work they’ve done with their social housing.”
Watch our short video below to hear more from Ian about why this holistic approach to net zero is so important and how it benefits the community.
The project at the Fairfield Leisure Centre received £1.5 million in funding through Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, with the centre now completely off gas as a result.
The solar array on the roof provides renewable energy for the site and solar thermal helps to warm the water for the swimming pool.
Additionally, the modular installation of air source heat pumps provides heating to the space in a manner
Watch our short video below to hear more from David Geddes of CO2 Target who were involved with the design and planning of the upgrades for the site.
Through the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2, the council improved a total of 92 low-income homes across the borough.
Through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1, it is aiming to upgrade more than 130 social homes.
The property upgrades aim to ensure residents are able to benefit from warmer homes and lower energy bills, alleviating risks of fuel poverty while reducing carbon emissions to benefit the planet.
Watch our short video with Ryan Hendry from contractor Sureserve as he speaks about the council’s work to upgrade social homes.
