The Huntly Aquatic Centre has saved $11,000 per month since October 2024 by switching from natural gas to electricity to heat the swimming pool, resulting in an ongoing $132,000 saving per year.
The Waikato District Council-owned facility moved from natural gas to electricity after decommissioning an ageing gas boiler to save money for ratepayers and to reduce carbon emissions.
Huntly General Ward Councillor Whyte said “I knew the cost savings moving to heat pumps, but I had no idea how much it would save. Appreciate the work done by staff and contractors to get these savings for the ratepayer.”
The council has a target to support the reduction of district-wide emissions by 25% by 2030.
Our energy contractor, COLAB, said moving from gas to electricity has been “very successful”.
COLAB Shared Services Energy Manager Martin Lynch said “it’s come at a timely period with the increased focus on cost reduction for council and a continuous effort to reduce carbon emissions.
“Natural gas has a carbon emissions factor that is 2.5 times that of electricity, it has also increased by 80% in cost. Switching from natural gas to electricity at the pool deliver’s council single biggest carbon reduction measure since the start of its decarbonisation journey,” Lynch said.
The project achieves these large savings from the hot water pump system, which is far more efficient than the old gas boiler.
The system is designed to operate at a Coefficient of Performance (CoP) of 4.5, meaning it produces 4.5 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity used. In contrast, the previous gas boiler was only around 80% efficient, producing just 0.8 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of gas consumed.
This emissions reduction meets an aim in the Council’s Climate Response and Resilience Strategy by connecting with the community to “collectively address our emissions targets.”
EECA (Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority) provided $158,000 co-funding for the project. ECCA supports organisations in efficient energy use.
