West Midlands
Decarbonisation & Retrofit
Castle Farm Leisure Centre
“Stepnell have gone above and beyond in helping Warwick District Council’s bid to achieve Net Zero.”
Will Cooper
Framework Coordinator (East and West)
Step Energy has completed the installation of a high-output solar PV system at Castle Farm Leisure Centre in Warwick, helping Warwick District Council offset the increased energy demand of a newly redeveloped facility and take a significant step towards its 2030 Net Zero commitment.
Region:
West Midlands
Project Type:
Decarbonisation & Retrofit
Sector:
Local Authority
Start on Site:
12/01/2026
Completion:
13/03/2026
Value Band:
£50k - £1m
Procure Via the Procure Partnerships Framework
Castle Farm Leisure Centre underwent a multi-million-pound redevelopment to replace a dated recreation centre with a high-spec, modern facility.
As a result, the building’s energy footprint was set to increase significantly. The Solar PV scheme was commissioned to mitigate this impact and align with Warwick District Council’s 2030 Net Zero commitment.
Direct Award, the right route for a tight deadline
Warwick District Council used the Direct Award method via the Procure Partnerships West Midlands Decarbinisation Framework to appoint Step Energy, The dedicated energy efficiency and decarbonisation arm of Stepnell Group, which was crucial as the project had tight deadlines linked to grant funding and insurer approval windows.
Procure Partnerships Framework also monitored the project’s 100% satisfaction rating during pre-construction, ensuring Stepnells technical designs met the high standards required for a landmark public building.
The technology behind the transformation
The installation transformed the rooftop of Castle Farm Leisure Centre into a high-output clean energy source, purpose-built for a busy public facility.
The installation included:
- 177 Exiom 510W solar modules covering 393.6m² of roof space
- 90.27 kWp system capacity — designed for 100% on-site consumption
- Full G99-compliant grid connection
- Permanent man-safe system for safe long-term maintenance
- Real-time smart metering tracking 79,408 kWh generated annually
- Bird-proofing with full perimeter mesh
Supporting Warwickshire businesses
The project significantly exceeded its target and directed the majority of its spend to local Warwickshire businesses.
£99.57k
Agreed Social Value Target
119%
Social Value Achieved
£132.22k
Total Social Value Add
£88,443
Local Spend
Our Team Is Ready
If you’d like to discuss the right framework and delivery partner for you then please get in touch.
“Stepnell have gone above and beyond in helping Warwick District Council’s bid to achieve Net Zero. A model example of an effective direct award, the team worked to tight timescales, causing minimal disruption in a live site environment. Step Energy excelled with their project KPI scores, including an exceptional 100%+ in social value add.”
Will Cooper
NECReg Framework Coordinator (East and West)
“The Castle Farm Leisure Centre project was a great opportunity to add a large solar PV system to their existing much smaller system. We have significantly increased their generating capacity and lowered their grid-supplied energy use and costs.”
Joseph Gilbert
Project Manager, Step Energy
“Step Energy designed a solar PV system that more than doubled the generating capacity of the existing array. The solutions provided met our requirements, the communication with the design team was excellent, and the installation was completed to an exceptionally high standard.”
Tim Hornsby
Building Climate and Energy Manager, Warwick District Council