Energy-efficient refurbishment

“Energy-efficient refurbishment of the indoor pool – New Year’s gift of 4 million euros for Sundern”

At the start of the year, Sorpesee GmbH received a grant approval notice for the energy-efficient refurbishment of the indoor pool. In 2023, the state government launched a funding program aimed in particular at refurbishing older municipal buildings where significant energy savings are possible. The indoor pool meets these requirements, so the relevant funding applications were submitted as early as 2023.

The city council supported the application in advance through corresponding resolutions and is thus financing the required own contribution to the project. The project is funded with 80% of the construction costs. Funding of 4 million euros has been approved. Of this, 40% comes from EU funds and a further 40% from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). First, the planning services must be tendered and awarded. This usually takes up to 6 months. This is followed by detailed design and the tendering of the specific construction works. Construction will then take place in 2026 and 2027. The pool’s closure periods should be as short as possible and as long as necessary, so that school and club swimming can largely continue. To achieve this, parts of the work must be carried out during ongoing operations and within the existing structure. This involves particular challenges. Which works will be carried out when will only be determined over the course of 2025. The project includes roof refurbishment, façade and basement-ceiling insulation, and replacement of the window and door systems. This will ensure the building meets the requirements of the funding program in future. Investment will also be made in building services. Here too, optimal energy use is to be achieved by using new heat-recovery systems for overflow water and ventilation, further reducing overall energy demand during operation. Inefficient and outdated system components such as the 10 kV substation and various pressure-pipe and wastewater lines will also be replaced. As recently as November 2024, there was another water ingress in parts of the pool. The previous year, walls were soaked due to defective wastewater pipes. The transformer station has now been in operation for 50 years. The entire lighting system (LED) and the acoustic ceiling will also be renewed. These systems are as old as the pool itself. All measures will lead to a significant reduction in energy consumption. Finally, the heating plant will be expanded again and a woodchip CHP unit will be installed. In 2027, the contracting for the existing CHP unit ends, ensuring a seamless transition. The indoor pool’s CO2 emissions will be reduced by around 80%. By using local resources (woodchips), the swimming pool will no longer be threatened with closure in the event of a gas shortage, as was the case in the crisis years 2021 and 2022. The Association of Municipal Utilities recommends using the resource “wood” in CHP units even before firing individual heating systems. This is climate-friendly. The Sauerland, as a forest-rich region, has the corresponding resources. Local use is also climate-friendly. With the funding, the Sundern indoor pool will be upgraded for operation over the next 40 years, and school and club swimming will continue to be ensured and supported in the familiar and proven way in the future. Elsewhere (Cologne), due to the precarious budget situation, almost all investments in the refurbishment and renewal of sports facilities amounting to 20 million euros were cut to €0. Eligible for funding are all installation, conversion and optimization measures to the building envelope and building services. The funding program covers almost the entire range of possible capital construction measures for technical building equipment as well as the building envelope, meaning the planned refurbishment as a whole is comparable to a full renovation of the pool. Compared to a new build that meets today’s requirements for climate- and resource-efficient operation, the city of Sundern can save up to 7 million euros thanks to the building’s good existing fabric.

In other Sauerland towns, e.g. Hemer and Wenden, new swimming pool builds involve costs of up to 12 million euros to be financed by the respective towns. In Sundern, this is merely the City of Sundern’s own contribution of around €1 million – and even this contribution is likely to pay for itself in the medium term through the savings potential. This also benefits the City of Sundern’s ongoing budget from 2027 onwards, above all through what is expected to be a significant reduction in energy consumption. The costs of electricity and useful heat generation could fall by 50%. Implementation will be carried out by Sorpesee GmbH.

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