Published date 23 July 2021

Full steam ahead to net zero for Bristol’s biggest visitor attraction

Dan Norris at the SS Great Britain

Bristol’s biggest visitor attraction, Brunel’s SS Great Britain, is sailing towards carbon neutral thanks to a cash injection from the West of England Combined Authority led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

The mayor visited the ship to see how pioneering upgrades are being carried out to install a heat recovery device which circulates dehumidified air onto the fragile iron hull of the ship to prevent it from rusting.

The £13,770 Green Business Grant will save over 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year and help the top visitor attraction go carbon neutral by 2030.

Metro Mayor, Dan Norris said:

“When she was launched the SS Great Britain incorporated the very latest in maritime technology, now 178 years later the Bristolians who look after her for the nation are turning to modern day tech to ensure her preservation is not at the expense of the planet. It’s fantastic to be back aboard this remarkable ship to launch the latest chapter in her long and rich history. It’s so important we all work together so we meet our ambitious net zero targets by 2030.”

Matthew Tanner – Chief Exec SS Great Britain Trust said:

“We are delighted with this concrete and pragmatic support from West of England Combined Authority led by Dan Norris. The climate emergency affects us all right now, and the SS Great Britain Trust is determined to play its part in reducing our carbon emissions as quickly and effectively as possible.”

The SS Great Britain’s Conservation Engineer, Nicola Grahamslaw added: “This energy recovery device is part of a series of upgrades to make our unique dehumidification system more resilient and reduce its carbon footprint. We’ve recently replaced the sensors, control software and some of the fans with newer technology to reduce our electricity consumption and the new component funded by the Green Business Grant is a particularly important aspect of the project, because it will not only directly reduce our gas requirement for heating but will also improve the overall performance of the whole system.”

Green Business Grants are funded by the West of England Recovery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.

Further opportunities to apply for Green Business Grants will be available later in the year. In the meantime businesses can receive a free carbon survey to help them understand their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and find out about low carbon solutions.

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