Solar panels and LED lighting among a raft of measures that will see the library save £40,000 a year in energy bills

ECO-friendly measures at Gillingham Library are saving around 13 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
Dorset Council says the cuts are the result of installing solar panels and a new building management system at the Chantry Fields site.
The panels mean the building, which also houses the museum, will benefit from zero-carbon electricity, while the management system helps heating work more efficiently, the council said.
Improvements at the Gillingham facility are among a raft of energy-saving measures at libraries across the county, ranging from the use of more efficient LED lighting to advanced building management systems.
The steps form part of the council’s response to the climate emergency and are expected to save more than £40,000 a year in electricity and gas costs.
Cllr Ray Bryan, the council’s portfolio holder for highways, travel and environment, said: “I am delighted to see the steps taken to reduce the carbon footprint of our library service. Not only will these measures take us closer to our net-zero goal, but they will also help protect our libraries from the rapidly rising electricity and gas prices.
“Reducing running costs will help us continue to deliver the wide range of services through our libraries that are so important to so many across Dorset. And at the same time accelerate our shift away from fossil fuels towards a cleaner future.”
With around 30 per cent of the authority’s emissions coming from its buildings, projects like this will play a vital role in helping Dorset Council reach its target of becoming a carbon-neutral council by 2040, Cllr Bryan added.