Thirty solar panels have been fixed to the roof of Keswick’s Alhambra Cinema as the owners continue their ‘greening the screen’ project.
Radiance Renewable Energy Solutions has just completed the installation of the panels and batteries on the roof of the 108-year-old attraction which has undergone a major transformation over the past couple of years,
“When I took over the business from Dad, I had two main aims: to refurbish the building and to make the business more sustainable,” said Carol Rennie, co-owner of the Alhambra. “Initial steps included a new roof and a redecoration of the auditorium and a series of small measures to reduce environmental impact: reducing plastic waste by switching mostly to aluminium cans and glass bottles, recycling with the Terracycle scheme, using crockery instead of disposable cups and Cumbria Action for Sustainability undertook an energy survey of the building.”
The investment and project management skills brought in by new business partner Jonathan Moore during the Covid lockdowns saw the refurbishment of the building completed, with a much more efficient and fully insulated gas heating system pumping water through the century-old radiators.
The installation of a super-insulated second screen, with an energy-efficient laser projector and a very efficient heat exchange ventilation and heating system, has increased admissions by 50 per cent and almost doubled the turnover of the business, allowing for further investment in ‘greening the screen’.
Tom Rennie, who ran the cinema for 30 years, worked with daughter Carol to run a tendering exercise and apply for a Low Carbon Lake District grant from the Lake District Foundation, funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Northern Powerhouse and the European Union European Regional Development Fund.
The £14,000 award has covered around 40 per cent of the installation cost.
“The energy generated by our solar panels will provide around a third of the cinema’s electricity needs and reduce our annual CO2 output from electricity to 3.3 tons from just over 5.1 tons – with more batteries, we could potentially reduce our reliance on the grid even further,” said Tom.
“As a member of Sustainable Keswick, it’s a pretty good feeling to be playing our part, as a local business, in reducing the carbon footprint of our operations, future-proofing the cinema as well as making it tread less lightly in terms of environmental impact,” said Carol. “We’re more than happy to share our experiences with anyone else interested in looking to reduce their carbon emissions.”
