A £1.3M scheme has helped to make four public buildings in County Durham more energy efficient.

Major improvements to the heating and lighting systems at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre, Chester-le-Street Leisure Centre, Crook Civic Centre and Stanley Indoor Bowls Centre are helping Durham County Council to save an estimated £151,530 a year in energy costs.

In addition to the financial savings, the Building Energy Efficiency Retrofit project is also expected to reduce the council’s carbon emissions by approximately 787 tonnes per year.

To mark the completion of the work at Chester-le-Street Leisure Centre, Olympic swimming gold medallist Duncan Goodhew will lead a fun session in the pool for swimmers at the centre on Thursday, May 30.

Ian Thompson, corporate director for regeneration and economic development and chair of the Carbon Management Programme at Durham County Council, said: “The fact that it has brought about improvements at four well-used public buildings, also reduced carbon and made financial savings is certainly something to be proud of.”

The project has been developed through the council’s Carbon Management Programme on an invest-to-save basis, where £1.3m has been borrowed at a low finance rate and will be repaid using the savings achieved through the improvements.