BASINGSTOKE Sports Centre is set to reduce its carbon emissions by up to 247 tonnes of CO2 a year with the installation of a combined heat and power system.

That is the equivalent of taking 52 cars off the road each year.

Estimated savings for the sports centre, in Festival Place, are in excess of £13,000 per year, with no capital or maintenance costs thanks to a deal signed with EuroSite Power.

The sports centre is the first in the area to install such a system, making use of a financial agreement with EuroSite Power that guarantees savings for 15 years.

EuroSite will sell the energy produced by the system to the sports centre at a rate guaranteed to be lower than if it were buying the energy directly from the national grid.

Already a popular method in the United States, the idea is to provide building owners with risk-free access to green solutions, which they would otherwise have to invest major capital to install and maintain.

Basingstoke Sports Centre chief executive officer James Starbuck said: “For a major sports centre, keeping control of energy costs is essential.

“As energy prices rise, a solution that allows us to manage the risk with zero up front capital costs is perfect.”

Paul Hamblyn, managing director of EuroSite Power, said: “We look forward to providing Basingstoke Sports Centre with risk-free, cheaper energy into the future.”