Wave Active’s Lewes Leisure Centre turned a patchwork of independent heating and cooling systems into a single, flexible energy network, without replacing a single unit.
Tackling rising electricity costs in supported housing
Leisure centres play a vital role in their communities, providing spaces for health, fitness and recreation throughout the day and evening. Behind the scenes, however, these facilities rely on complex building systems to maintain comfortable indoor conditions across gyms, studios, offices and shared spaces.
Heating and cooling systems often operate continuously to meet changing occupancy patterns, and additional equipment is installed over time to support new or upgraded spaces. The result is a patchwork of HVAC assets operating independently across the building, with no central visibility or coordinated control.
Wave Active’s Lewes Leisure Centre faced precisely this challenge. Several air conditioning and heat pump systems were already installed across the site, supporting key areas such as the fitness suite and operational spaces. While each system performed its individual role effectively, they operated largely in isolation, providing limited insight into overall energy performance.
- No confirmed demand response activations had been recorded
- Energy savings could not be quantified or verified
- The site operator had no access to system performance data, and control strategies and scheduling remained unclear
Why Voltalis offers a real solution
Lewes Leisure Centre partnered with Voltalis for Business to bring these assets together within a single platform, providing both operational insight and automated energy optimisation, without replacing existing infrastructure or disrupting day-to-day operations.
The Voltalis platform monitors electricity consumption at the circuit level, triggers automated demand-response events when grid conditions require flexibility, optimises load control across the HVAC assets, and maintains temperature stability and occupant comfort throughout the building.
What we did on site
The installation focused primarily on seven Daikin outdoor heat pump units, which serve multiple indoor units across the building’s operational spaces. All units were located together at ground level near the building’s former bin storage area, allowing the installation team to integrate the control modules with minimal disruption to site operations.
- 7 Voltalis Smart Switch modules (VX-DC-H) connected to the HVAC control systems
- 7 Voltalis power monitoring modules (VX-SM-H) installed at the electrical distribution boards supplying the outdoor units
- 2 Voltalis communication gateways (VX-CW-T) providing secure connectivity to the Voltalis cloud platform
- Optional auxiliary demand cards fitted within each compatible Daikin outdoor unit, enabling control via dry-contact signals
Two older Sanyo units located near the building’s external plant area were identified as obsolete and were excluded from the initial demand response design due to the lack of compatible auxiliary cards.
Smarter energy management for facility teams
Through the Voltalis for Business platform, the leisure centre now benefits from centralised monitoring and automated optimisation of its HVAC systems, including real-time visibility of system operation, historical event tracking and reporting, energy consumption monitoring, and automated participation in demand-response events.
The site operator also receives access to detailed reporting, allowing them to track electricity savings, operational performance and grid flexibility contributions over time, transforming previously isolated systems into a connected energy network that can respond dynamically to grid demand while maintaining stable indoor comfort.
Results so far
Following installation, Lewes Leisure Centre began participating in demand-response events designed to reduce electricity consumption during periods of peak grid demand. Performance varied month to month depending on grid requirements and event frequency, but the results show a clear progression as the system moved from initial optimisation to full operational participation.
- November 2025: early optimisation and testing, delivering 99.5 kWh of savings, equivalent to 5.1% of electricity consumption during the period
- December 2025: significantly increased participation in grid events, with 244.1 kWh saved, a 15% reduction in electricity demand
- January 2026: fewer grid flexibility events across the national network, resulting in 22.5 kWh of savings (1.4%), while the system continued operating normally
- February 2026: the strongest performance to date, achieving 342.3 kWh of electricity savings, equivalent to a 21.2% demand reduction during events
What’s next
These early results demonstrate how HVAC assets can provide meaningful flexibility to the electricity system while improving operational energy performance. As participation in flexibility markets continues, the Voltalis platform will enable the site to further optimise system behaviour, deliver additional savings and provide ongoing visibility into energy performance.
Learn more about how Voltalis is supporting leisure and community facilities across the UK.
