Innovative leisure centre heat project to make a splash

A swimming pool in Argyll & Bute is at the forefront of a renewable energy revolution which creates heat from waste water.In the first project to be delivered by a new joint venture between Scottish Water Horizons and SHARC Energy Systems and one of the first of its kind in the UK, Campbeltown’s Aqualibrium leisure centre will be heated by the use of ground-breaking technology which places a focus on sustainability.The centre and swimming pool is operated by Argyll & Bute Council and the £1 million project will meet 95% of the facility’s heating needs and use just 25% of the energy it currently takes to heat it with gas.The state of the art installation will intercept waste water from Scottish Water’s adjacent Kinloch Park Pumping Station. The technology will extract the naturally occurring residual heat, amplify it and transfer it to the clean water network to provide heating to the leisure centre.The new heat recovery system will be integrated into the council’s existing heating infrastructure.The low-carbon, sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy system will heat the 25-metre swimming pool, fitness suite, steam room, sauna and library in the centre.