Turning Down the Heat on Council Offices and Dover Museum

£830,000 project to decarbonise key Council buildings and cut carbon emissions

Dover District Council (DDC) is to decarbonise its main Whitfield offices and Dover Museum as part of its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The Council has secured £830,000 from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for a programme of energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures that has the potential to slash over 119 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO²e) every year.

The project will see the Council switch to renewable energy sources at its Whitfield office with the replacement of gas boilers with air source heat pumps and solar photovoltaic roof panels. 

Existing LED office lighting will also be upgraded with new wireless controls that include daylight saving, whilst a new building management system will better regulate energy usage throughout the building. 

Dover Museum will also benefit from a new building management system alongside a new air source heat pump to provide heating.  New low-energy LED lighting will also be introduced throughout the museum.

Cllr OIiver Richardson, cabinet member for the environment and corporate property, said: “We’re determined to show leadership on climate change by putting our own house in order.  Making our buildings more efficient makes sense for both the environment and the tax payer.”

Note to editors:

DDC declared a climate change emergency in January 2020. In January 2021, Cabinet approved a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan setting out plans for Dover District Council to become a net zero carbon emitter by 2030 at the latest.