Projects
Cullen Community Centre Net Zero
Location
Cullen
Recipient
The Three Kings Cullen Association
Funding Awarded
£15,201.00
Three Kings Cullen Association were awarded funding to support improvements to the energy efficiency of Cullen Community Centre.
Prior to being awarded the funding, Cullen Community Centre had completed a study funded by the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) that looked at the future heating and power requirements of the building.
Formerly a primary school, the existing heating system ran on oil but had used coal as a fuel source. Consequently, in 150 years the building was estimated to have contributed approximately 6,750 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The study resulted in a five year plan to divide the building into zones, insulate each of the zones and after insulation switch that zone to a ground source heat pump. As part of this process, new electronic valves were installed to give greater control over the heating zones, bleed valves on all the radiators were replaced, and upstairs wiring was renewed to bring in more LED lighting.
These improvements helped the centre become more sustainable in financial terms, while reducing heat loss and carbon emissions from the building itself. In turn this will enable the centre to keep its accommodation and room hire costs as low as possible, while paving the way for future Net Zero improvements such as solar PV in the future.
Community Voices
Community led local development allows communities to decide what is right for them. It allows communities to develop and grow at a sustainable pace and allows them to adapt faster to changing circumstances.
Communities should have an everchanging roadmap of the way ahead, they need to understand their strengths and weaknesses and create a picture of what their community will be like in 10 years time.
We have seen the herring fishing come and go; we have seen the wealth oil has brought but what will the children who start school this year have for their future prosperity.
Communities need to think further ahead and decide what they would like to see for their children/ grandchildren and the role of local government is to facilitate their wishes.
Stan Slater, Cullen Community Centre