A PACKAGE of measures to make the Brighton Centre more environmentally friendly is expected to save more than £50,000 a year by reducing water and energy bills.
New energy-saving lighting at the centre - which is run by Brighton & Hove City Council - should save at least £41,000 a year on electricity bills and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 23.5 tonnes a year.
And a project to reduce the amount of water used in the centre's urinals could save a staggering 13,000 litres a day, reducing the amount of water used by 96% and cutting water bills by an estimated £9,200 a year.
The work will be carried out by the council as part of the final phase of refurbishment of the centre, which is the venue for high profile conferences, concerts and exhibitions, which generate vital income for the city's economy.
Water use will be cut by introducing timers to reduce the number of flushes in the centre's 19 urinals, replacing the previous system of 'uncontrolled' or constantly flushing urinals. The work will cost £1,200 and, by saving £9,200 a year, will pay for itself in around a month and a half.
Councillor Bill Randall, leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: "The urinals project doesn't sound very glamorous but it is a key way of preventing thousands of gallons of water being flushed down the drain every single day, and I am grateful the council's Sustainability Team and the Brighton Centre for bringing about these savings. The work is particularly important against the backdrop of the South East facing the worst drought for 30 years and the council will be looking at other ways of saving water."
He added: "The Brighton Centre is a major venue. Hopefully the practical measures we have taken, and the savings they will generate, will encourage people to think about how they can their bit on a smaller scale to save water and energy, whether at home or at work."
Article courtesy of Love Brighton, the free weekly paper for Brighton and Hove.
