Without action this increase has the potential to cause significant financial challenge for Sidcup Sports Club, and it’s three constituent clubs (cricket, rugby and tennis).

To tackle this challenge the Sports Club committee have been busy undertaking an energy audit of the club and have set out a two-phase plan:

Phase 1 will focus on reducing energy use through funded via grants/loans and various sources.

The measures include:
• Installation of energy efficient lighting and movement sensors
• Improving insulation in the bar cellar, one of the largest areas of electricity consumption
• Replacing end-of-life boilers with more efficient models
• Reduction in usage through behaviour changes such as turning off lights and appliances.

Some of these measures have already led to a 30% reduction in our energy usage, but we need to go further still.

Phase 2 is about reducing supply cost and increasing sustainability by investing in renewable energy supply.

One of the primary, but not only, routes for doing this is the installation of solar panels on the South side of the pavillion roof. If done in full, this has the potential to provide 42% of our current electricity need (though as we reduce our demand through the Phase 1 activities, this percentage could become significantly higher).

What can you do to help?
As we all know, energy saving measures such as these require a significant upfront investment. So we’ve launched a joint fundraiser across the three clubs, to raise some of the money required to deliver this plan. With 1000 members across the clubs, just a £10 donation from each will help us hit our £10,000 target, so please do support it with whatever you can!

You can also help by sharing our crowdfunder with friends, family and local businesses. As you can see there are even a few SCC vs MCC match day tickets available for cricket week too!

Thank you all for continuing to support Sidcup CC and the wider Sports Club.