Business energy for gyms and leisure
Business energy for gyms and leisure centres
Gyms and leisure centres spend energy on heating, hot water for showers, ventilation and air conditioning, lighting and equipment, and swimming pools use far more than dry facilities. CIBSE benchmarks put a swimming pool centre's heating fuel use at 1,130 kWh per square metre a year, more than double a fitness centre's. Sport England notes energy is typically a leisure facility's second highest cost after staffing, so both the contract and day-to-day controls matter.
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How much energy do gyms and leisure use?
| Benchmark | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Typical electricity use per m², fitness and health centre (CIBSE TM46) | 160 kWh/m²/year | GOV.UK |
| Typical heating fuel use per m², fitness and health centre (CIBSE TM46) | 440 kWh/m²/year | GOV.UK |
| Typical electricity use per m², swimming pool centre (CIBSE TM46) | 245 kWh/m²/year | GOV.UK |
| Typical heating fuel use per m², swimming pool centre (CIBSE TM46) | 1130 kWh/m²/year | GOV.UK |
| Typical electricity use per m², dry sports and leisure facility (CIBSE TM46) | 95 kWh/m²/year | GOV.UK |
| Typical heating fuel use per m², dry sports and leisure facility (CIBSE TM46) | 330 kWh/m²/year | GOV.UK |
Benchmarks describe typical buildings. Your own use depends on floor area, opening hours, equipment and how efficient your building is.
What do gyms and leisure pay per kWh?
There are no official prices by business type, but the government publishes what businesses pay by size of energy use. In Q2 2026, the smallest UK business electricity users (up to 20,000 kWh a year) paid an average of 38.36p per kWh, and those using 20,000 to 499,999 kWh paid 28.59p. The smallest gas users paid 9.31p per kWh. These government averages include standing charges and the Climate Change Levy, but not VAT. Your bill shows a unit rate plus a daily standing charge, so it won't match these all-in figures directly. See business electricity prices and business gas prices for every size band.
Choosing an energy contract for gyms and leisure
- Pools create steady heat demand all year, so your gas price has a big effect on running costs. A fixed contract gives budget certainty; larger operators sometimes buy energy flexibly in blocks over time, which carries more price risk.
- For council-owned facilities, Sport England suggests checking whether energy can be bought through the council's own utility contracts, as well as looking at fixed-term deals.
- 24-hour gyms use more power overnight than most businesses, so check whether a multi-rate tariff genuinely beats a single rate on your usage data.
- If pools or halls close for maintenance or seasonal breaks, check whether the contract has terms about using much less energy than forecast.
- Chains and trusts running several sites can line up renewal dates, but compare each site's usage first, as a pool site and a dry gym have very different profiles.
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VAT and Climate Change Levy for gyms and leisure
Energy for gyms and leisure centres is normally charged at the 20% standard VAT rate, with Climate Change Levy. If your facility is run by a charity, don't assume the charity reduced rate applies: HMRC's fuel and power manual gives admission charges as an example of a business activity, and energy used for business activities does not qualify.
VAT on business energy · Climate Change Levy explained
How gyms and leisure use energy
Leisure is heat-led: BEES found non-electrical energy made up 69 per cent of energy use in the community, arts and leisure sector, and the TM46 fitness centre benchmarks are 160 kWh/m² of electricity against 440 kWh/m² of heating fuel a year.
Pools are heated all day and night, and the pool hall air has to be kept warm and dry. The Building Energy Efficiency Survey found swimming pools were a significant load in the sector. GOV.UK
BEES found leisure centres often have extensive ventilation, which adds to heating demand, and that air conditioning is common because of the heat customers give off while exercising. GOV.UK
Changing rooms create heavy hot water demand at peak times. HSE says stored hot water must be kept at 60°C or above to control Legionella. GOV.UK
Treadmills, cross-trainers and screens are used on and off through the day, so they are often left on while idle. Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust notes the electric heating in saunas and steam rooms is expensive to run when they are not in use. Carbon Trust
Sports halls, studios and gym floors are lit for long opening hours, often from early morning to late evening.
Having a pool is the single biggest factor. After that, opening hours, how long ventilation runs and how many people shower drive consumption. A 24-hour gym also carries lighting, air handling and equipment loads through the night.
Ways gyms and leisure can cut energy use
Sport England recommends pool covers to retain heat and reduce evaporation. The Carbon Trust says a full cover can let ventilation be switched off at night and typically pays back in 18 months to three years. sportengland.org
The Carbon Trust advises keeping the pool hall about 1°C warmer than the water to limit evaporation from the pool surface. Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust, citing CIBSE guidance, gives 28°C for a conventional pool and 29°C for a leisure pool. Water heated above what comfort needs also risks condensation damage. Carbon Trust
In quieter periods, switch some cardio machines off, and turn equipment and air conditioning off at night. Simple time switches can do this automatically. Carbon Trust
Turn sauna and steam room heating off when they are not in use, and fit timers so it happens without relying on staff. Carbon Trust
Sport England recommends using building management systems and remote monitoring to track energy use, and reviewing pump speeds and water treatment processes. sportengland.org
FAQs
How much energy does a gym use?
The CIBSE TM46 benchmark for a fitness and health centre is 160 kWh of electricity and 440 kWh of heating fuel per square metre a year. Long opening hours and busy changing rooms push usage up.
How much more energy does a swimming pool use?
A lot more. The CIBSE TM46 swimming pool centre benchmark is 245 kWh of electricity and 1,130 kWh of heating fuel per square metre a year, compared with 160 and 440 for a fitness centre.
What is the quickest energy saving for a pool?
A pool cover used whenever the pool is closed. It cuts water heating, ventilation and top-up water, and the Carbon Trust puts typical payback at 18 months to three years.
How big a cost is energy for a leisure centre?
Sport England says energy is typically a leisure facility's second highest cost after staffing, with swimming pools particularly energy-intensive.
Can a charitable leisure trust pay reduced-rate VAT on energy?
Only for non-business use. HMRC gives admission charges as an example of a business activity, so energy used for paid-for activities is normally standard-rated.
Sources
- CIBSE TM46:2008 Energy Benchmarks, Table 1 (reproduced by Vale of Glamorgan Council)
- BEIS (now DESNZ), Building Energy Efficiency Survey 2014-15: Overarching Report
- Sport England, Managing the impact of higher energy costs on community leisure provision
- Carbon Trust, Hospitality sector guide (CTV058 v3, 2018), leisure and fitness facilities
- HSE, Legionella: things to consider (water temperatures)
- HMRC, VAT Fuel and Power Manual VFUP2400 (charity non-business use)
Other business types
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