LeisureEnergy Framing 1 of 3 · Proposal & recommendation
For South Kesteven District Council · Grantham Meres Leisure Centre

From a 558-tonne carbon footprint to net-zero heating in 26 months.

Grantham Meres is one of the strongest decarbonisation candidates in the SKDC estate. Below is the snapshot Leisure Energy would put forward — with a Phase 4 PSDS grant likely to cover 88% of the capital cost.
Today · Calendar 2024
Gas consumption2,799,021 kWh
Electricity245,057 kWh
Annual £ spend£245,622
Annual carbon562.7 tCO₂
DEC bandD · 116
→
By Q2 2028 with PSDS Phase 4
Gas consumption0 · 100% removed
Electricity (net of PV)523,061 kWh
Annual £ spend£128,300 · −48%
Annual carbon108.3 tCO₂ · −81%
DEC bandB · 78

Is Grantham Meres a good fit for our recommendation?

Five technical and commercial filters that tell us whether the Net Zero Pod® is the right answer. Three out of three "must-haves" met; both commercial filters point to a competitive PSDS application.
Strong fit · proceed
5/5
Criteria met
LE Recommends:
Net Zero Pod® · PSDS Phase 4 application
✓
Wet leisure facility — pool present
Main 25m + learner pool
✓
End-of-life fossil-fuel plant — Phase 4 §4.2.1 qualifying
2× Hoval boilers · 2009/2011 · 17–19 yrs at decommission
✓
Grid capacity available — DNO indicative 525 kVA
Confirmation surgery Apr 2026
✓
PSDS-eligible applicant — Procurement Act 2023
SKDC · public authority
✓
Competitive grant carbon cost — projected top tier
£323 / tCO₂e LT vs £510 cap

The technology we'd specify

A Leisure Energy Net Zero Pod® — our packaged plant room. R744 (CO₂) heat-pump system delivering 4+ units of heat per unit of electricity, designed for the duty profile of a wet leisure centre, manufactured off-site and craned into place to minimise pool closure.
LE Net Zero Pod® · Grantham Meres specification

550 kW · R744 (CO₂) · sCOP 4.64

Replaces the existing twin Hoval gas boilers and Andrews calorifier entirely. Delivers two flow temperatures from a single integrated unit — 50°C for space heating and 75°C for DHW and pool — eliminating the need for a separate booster stage. Designed, built, pre-commissioned and tested at our Kidderminster Technology Centre. Five-to-seven day on-site cutover.
RefrigerantR744 · GWP 1
Heat output550 kW
Flow circuits50 / 75 °C
Footprint9.5 × 4.0 m
Alternatives we appraised & discounted: District heat network (not available in Grantham · planned network too distant) · GSHP (clay subsoil + nearby aquifer protection zone unfavourable) · Biomass (urban air-quality risk · supply-chain concerns) · Electric boilers (lifetime running cost prohibitive · grant carbon cost would exceed £510 cap) · Hybrid heat pump + retained gas (Phase 4 §4.2.7 penalises hybrid retention)

Four investment tiers, four outcomes

From "do nothing" to the full PSDS-funded Net Zero Pod programme. Each column is a standalone option for SKDC — they're not cumulative steps.
Option A · Do nothing
BAU · gas boiler replacement
£385k
SKDC funds in full · no grant
CO₂ saving / yr0
£ saving / yr£0
DEC bandD (drift to E by 2030)
PSDS leverageLost
Net-zero targetMissed
Option B · Quick wins
Pool covers + LED + AHU controls
£175k
SKDC self-fund · capital programme
CO₂ saving / yr−56 t
£ saving / yr−£56k
Payback3.1 yrs
DEC bandD · 104
PSDS leverageNot used
Option C · Solar + efficiency
Quick wins + S24-1467 PV
£357k
SKDC self-fund + S24-1467
CO₂ saving / yr−75 t
£ saving / yr−£74k
Payback4.8 yrs
DEC bandD · 102
PSDS leverageNot used
LE Recommends
Option D · Full transformation
Net Zero Pod® + everything above
£2.34M total
SKDC net £282k · PSDS covers 88%
CO₂ saving / yr−454 t · −81%
£ saving / yr−£117k
Payback on net £282k2.4 yrs
DEC bandB · 78
PSDS leverage£2.06M secured
Why Option D is the recommendation: It's the only option that meets SKDC's published net-zero target by 2030, secures £2.06M of grant funding before the PSDS window closes, and delivers the fastest payback on the council's own capital outlay. Options B and C are good standalone investments but leave the gas-fired heating load — and the future planning risk that comes with it — entirely in place.

Trajectory against your published net-zero target

SKDC's Climate Strategy commits to a 75% reduction in operational emissions from public buildings by 2037 against a 2017 baseline. Grantham Meres alone delivers ~5% of the council's published target if Option D proceeds.
600 t 400 t 200 t 0 Option A · BAU Option B Option C Net Zero Pod commissioned Q1 2028 SKDC 75% reduction target · 2037 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034 2036 2038
Option A · BAU (drift up with grid factor) Option B · Quick wins only Option C · + PV Option D · Net Zero Pod (LE recommends)

Next step: a PSDS Phase 4 application, ready by the next window

Engage Leisure Energy to prepare the full Phase 4 application bundle and HDP for Grantham Meres — covering technical design, energy modelling, grant carbon cost calculation, and risk register. The Low Carbon Skills Fund will fund this scope at no cost to SKDC. We've prepared 21 successful PSDS applications across 11 local authorities to date.