A WHITCHURCH community centre is expected to make energy savings thanks to high tech systems to cut gas and electricity costs.

The Brownlow Community Centre in Claypit Street has a weekly footfall of nearly 700 people from ‘The Little Bears Day Care Nursery’, Whitchurch Town Band and Border Singers to Clubbercise, Whitchurch Weightlifting Gym and two popular line dancing groups.

The centre also hosts a Shropshire Warm Welcome Hub every Tuesday where tea, coffee and soup are on offer.

Energy costs had threatened the future of the centre.

Browlow chair, Chris Smith said: "The biggest running cost is energy.

"So ways of cutting lighting and heating charges became a high priority."

The central heating controls have been replaced by a modern system which works over the Internet from an app from a mobile phone which Chris credits for savings

He said: "This enables us to control the heating room-by-room, hour-by-hour, throughout the week, which improves comfort levels for our users while shaving about a third off our gas usage and giving us huge savings."

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The high-tech project brought together i7 Technology from Wrexham, who installed the necessary Wi-Fi service throughout the building.

Barlows Electrical of Malpas fitted the heating control system and the LED lights and the projects were funded by grants from the Twemlows Trust and Freedom Fibre.

Chris believes the energy savings will help pay for improvements in the centre.

He said: "Lighting in the ‘Little Bears’ nursery and the main hall can be on for 18 hours a day and account for well over half our total electricity consumption.

"But the more efficient approach will cut that by about 25 per cent.

"The improvements, for both us and centre users, became obvious within a few days.

"The boilers are running a lot less than before and at lower temperatures than previously.

"So we think we’re well on track to make massive savings that will pay for the improvements within two years."