Budding Andy Murrays and Emma Raducanus can find themselves in the spotlight after one of Scotland’s oldest tennis clubs upgraded its facilities to cut its energy costs.
Elgin Tennis Club took advantage of Business Energy Scotland’s lighting fast-track assessment to switch to LED floodlights at its Cooper Park site.
“We’d definitely recommend the service to other clubs.”
The move has the potential to save the 150-member club around £1,000 a year – as well as improving the experience for players.
Ewen Fraser, club chairman, said: “Everyone has been very impressed since we turned the new lights on. They’re even joking that they may need sunglasses to play.”
The club, which has its main site at Duff Avenue where there are four blaes clay courts, was founded in 1889, just 12 years after the first Wimbledon title was won.
It offers social tennis sessions alongside coaching for juniors and adult beginners.
A few years ago, it took on the lease for the three hard courts in Cooper Park, owned by Moray Council. In 2023, £86,000 from a partnership between the council and the Lawn Tennis Association enabled the courts to be refurbished.
Sadly, the old-fashioned lighting didn’t enhance the enjoyment of the upgraded courts, which is when the club approached Business Energy Scotland.
One of our experienced consultants surveyed the site, which had 18 500w and 750w lights that were used between 350 and 400 hours each year. It was advised only 11 LED lights would be needed to provide a better quality output.
The £18,000 cost to make the switch to modern, energy-saving floodlights was funded with a Scottish Government interest-free SME loan with cashback.
“The difference has been incredible. The previous floodlights were not great and a lot of older members struggled to see the ball. People have been saying they will play more in the evenings now.
“The whole process was very easy. The survey was done quickly and we had the same contact at Business Energy Scotland throughout.
“We’d definitely recommend the service to other clubs.”
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