Environmental upgrades to Oxfordshire’s community support services
The adult day care centre that houses Oxford Community Support Service is the latest building to benefit from zero carbon upgrades from Oxfordshire County Council.
New solar panels are being installed at the centre on Awgar Stone Road as part of the county council’s environmental programme to retrofit zero carbon solutions to 30 of its buildings over the next year.
Fire stations, libraries and family centres are also on the list for green improvements.
Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: "The climate emergency is everyone’s business and we can all play our part to help make Oxfordshire a greener place to live and work.
“It’s great to see the council’s innovative retrofitting scheme arriving at our adult social care community support service buildings, making our centres fit for the future.”
The solar panels that are being fitted at the Oxford adult day care centre will produce an estimated £2,000 of electricity each year.
It’s part of a wider programme of work estimated to decarbonise approximately 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year. That’s about the same amount as a diesel car would produce after driving 18,000 km or the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption from 4784 houses each year.
Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance with responsibility for property, said: “These programmes alone won’t bring us to our net zero carbon ambitions, but they will help us on that journey. Every bit we can do, we will do, as part of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint
“By providing Oxford Community Support Service with the ability to capture and save solar energy through battery storage, we are removing fossil fuels from everyday actions, including heating and cooking. And with more buildings in the pipelines for zero carbon upgrades, we’re taking significant steps towards our environmental targets.”
The Bicester Community Support Service’s adult social care centre will be the next to benefit from decarbonisation work, with an air source heat pump, new windows and loft insulation being installed later in the year.
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