Lewes District Council's close working with Wave Leisure Trust has resulted in an investment of almost £80,000 for the installation of new equipment that will provide savings in both gas consumption and reductions in carbon emissions at leisure centres in the future.

New gas fuel saver controllers will be fitted at Lewes Leisure Centre and Seahaven Swim and Fitness Centre at a capital cost of £16,000. (They have a payback period of a little over 5 years).

The "fuelstretcher" is a piece of electronic equipment fitted to gas boilers that "fine tunes" the building air temperatures to be at precisely the correct temperatures when the centres open for business regardless of climate conditions outside. The trial at Lewes Leisure Centre has indicated that significant gas consumption savings can be generated from this technology. It is estimated the installation of the fuelstretchers will have a payback period of a little over 5 years.

Also planned is the fitting of LED lighting at all leisure centres in the district. This will reduce electricity consumption as LED lights produce better lighting levels, improve the longevity of the lamps, make considerable reductions in carbon emissions and have relatively short payback times.

Peter Crowley, Managing Director of Wave Leisure Trust said "We are delighted to be able to announce these investments in green technology. Not only will this allow us to make cost efficiencies it allows us to reinforce our commitment to our ISO 14001 Environmental Management System accreditation. At a time when cost is at the forefront of people's minds this clearly demonstrates our commitment now and in the future to be offering the best possible service for the local community."

Leader of Lewes District Council, Cllr Ann De Vecchi said "By working closely with Wave Leisure Trust Ltd we have been able to make this financial investment in order to enable them to install the new technologies that have so many environmental benefits. We are keen to work with partners to improve and enhance services whenever we can."