Advertisement
Dublin: 5 °C Friday 29 March, 2024
Jim Bahn via Creative Commons
Eerie Energy

Warm pool with heat from crematorium, says council

A Worcestershire council has hit on a novel way to warm swimmers, save money, and be kind to the environment… although the plan is leaving some local residents uneasy.

A BOROUGH COUNCIL in Worcestershire is treading new ground with a recent idea on how to heat a local swimming pool.

In an attempt to warm the pool in the most energy efficient manner possible, Redditch Borough Council has drawn up proposals to redirect the heat coming from the incinerator of a nearby crematorium. The council estimates that the plan could result in savings of £14,000 (€16,219) every year.

It is planning to meet with faith groups, funeral directors and members of the public to discuss the scheme to heat Abbey Stadium sports centre - which would be the first of its kind in the UK – over the coming week.

The Guardian reports that some local residents are unsure about the proposal and quotes Simon Thomas who works at a funeral directors, as saying: “I don’t know how comfortable people would feel about the swimming pool being heated due to the death of a loved one, I think it’s a bit strange and eerie.”

H0wever, the BBC reports that the council insists the plan would help to cut carbon emissions as well as saving money, and has pointed out the heat would otherwise be exhausted into the atmosphere.

Gordon Hull, from the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities, said that the plans made sense “from an environmental view”.