North Yorkshire leisure centres cut bills with solar

Aisha Patel Author 2026-05-28 16:32 3 min read

Nearly 1,000 solar panels have been fitted to leisure centres in Ripon, Thirsk and Whitby, with North Yorkshire Council expecting the work to reduce electricity bills by more than £2 million over 25 years.

The panels have been installed on three council-owned leisure sites as part of a regional renewable energy programme backed by the Great British Energy Mayoral Renewables Fund. The council says the savings can be redirected into other services while cutting greenhouse gas emissions from public buildings.

Byline: DemoDuck News Desk. Source: North Yorkshire Council, 2026.

Three leisure sites now have rooftop solar panels

The affected sites are Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre, Thirsk and Sowerby Leisure and Wellbeing Hub, and Whitby Leisure Centre.

Whitby Leisure Centre is currently operated by Everyone Active, but it is due to become part of Active North Yorkshire next year. The Pickering and Whitby sites are expected to move into Active North Yorkshire in 2027 as part of wider leisure service changes.

The project was delivered by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, with installation work overseen by contractor BCS Group.

£2 million energy saving projected over 25 years

North Yorkshire Council says the three solar schemes could save more than £2 million in electricity charges across the next 25 years. The same period is expected to bring combined carbon savings of nearly 2,000 tonnes.

Those figures are projections rather than guaranteed cash in the bank. Actual savings will depend on electricity prices, building energy demand, system performance, maintenance costs and how much power the leisure centres can use directly on site.

Leisure centres are energy-hungry public buildings. Pools, gyms, lighting, ventilation and hot water systems can make running costs difficult to manage, especially when energy prices remain volatile. That makes rooftop solar more attractive for councils because the power is generated at the point of use, reducing exposure to grid electricity costs during daylight hours.

Council leader Carl Les said the installations would help generate energy more cheaply and reduce the amount paid on bills, allowing savings to be invested elsewhere across North Yorkshire.

Funded through a wider regional renewables programme

The North Yorkshire leisure centre work forms part of a broader programme covering 16 community buildings across York and North Yorkshire. Funding was allocated by York and North Yorkshire mayor David Skaith after a £1 million grant from Great British Energy.

The scheme sits within the region’s ambition to become carbon negative by 2040. That target means the area aims to remove or offset more carbon than it produces, a goal that will require changes across transport, buildings, land use, energy generation and local infrastructure.

Skaith said the Mayoral Renewables Fund was intended to lower bills so community buildings could spend less on energy and more on supporting people.

For residents, the immediate effect is not a new public-facing service or timetable change. The practical impact is on the cost base of local leisure facilities: if the panels perform as expected, the centres should need to buy less electricity from the grid over time.

Leisure investment already planned for Whitby and other sites

The solar work comes alongside a larger leisure investment strategy approved by North Yorkshire Council in November last year. That programme will invest £36 million in four key sites, including Whitby, with funding also focused on Active North Yorkshire sites in Selby and Skipton and centres in Pickering and Whitby currently run by Everyone Active.

A further £3 million is planned for a phased programme to upgrade gym and fitness equipment across 12 additional leisure sites managed by the council.

BCS Group operations director Adrian Veitch said the solar panels would reduce the running costs of the centres and support facilities used by local communities.

Source: North Yorkshire Council

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Source check Source trail

This article was built from the council announcement and checked against the named sites, funding body and savings figures stated in the source.

Checks

• Confirmed the three affected leisure sites named in the council announcement.
• Checked the panel counts given for Ripon, Thirsk and Whitby.
• Separated projected 25-year savings from guaranteed annual savings.
• Identified the funding route through the Great British Energy Mayoral Renewables Fund.

North Yorkshire Council Check wider coverage

Source

North Yorkshire Council

Scope

North Yorkshire

Updated

2026-05-28 16:32

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Article contextPeople & topics3#7

Carl LesDavid SkaithAdrian Veitch

#Active North Yorkshire#Council energy bills#Mayoral Renewables Fund#North Yorkshire solar panels#Ripon Jack Laugher Centre#Thirsk and Sowerby Leisure Hub#Whitby Leisure Centre

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