Spiralling energy prices has seen local authorities struggle to meet the costs of keeping pools and other facilities viable and open, Mark Gifford, technical services manager at IES, has said.

He continued: "Unlike other consumer products such as food and petrol, passing additional costs on to customers is not really an option. The margins would have to be vast to cover the energy hikes, making entry fees unaffordable, so government support and subsidies might be the most realistic option to keep them open and affordable.

“However, even with government support it is likely that organisations and councils will continue to struggle to keep up with costs without examining how they are using energy and improving the energy efficiency of their facilities. For example, Glasgow Life, a charity that delivers cultural, sporting and learning activities on behalf of Glasgow City Council, identified that the Riverside Museum was performing poorly in terms of its energy management. Working with IES, Glasgow Life was able to utilise IES technology and identify the systems that were performing poorly, with the HVAC system being a major culprit. After identifying this and other key problem areas, the council was able to improve the building's operation and reduce energy costs to achieve savings of £52,300 per year.

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“By taking greater care and performing data measurement and analysis on buildings, there can be significant cost savings which could make a difference between a facility being viable and open to the public or not.

"What we once considered to be vital, basic public services are going to increasingly be seen as a luxury in the coming months as we contend with continued energy hikes, and local authorities need to explore all avenues to prevent this from happening."