Businesses could cut energy bills through waterway cooling

British Waterways and consultants Linden Environmental have joined forces in a bid to promote the use of canal water to cool waterside buildings across England and Wales.


The scheme aims to boost the number of companies which use canal water cooling in place of traditional air-conditioning.

It is anticipated this will help lower energy bills for companies, as well as cut carbon emissions.

As part of the initiative, Linden plans to fully finance upfront installation costs for waterside businesses, which they say will help them lower their carbon footprint and save money from the outset.

The system has already been implemented by organisations such as GlaxoSmithKline, which claims to have saved more than £120k a year on its bills and 276 tonnes of carbon by switching from traditional air conditioning to canal water cooling.

Linden marketing director Paul Adams, said: “Modern buildings can often cost more to cool in summer than to heat in winter. Using canal water to cool large buildings can dramatically reduce air conditioning costs, minimises the impact on the environment and provides better working conditions for staff.”

Carys Matthews

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