Havelock North Primary School slashes power bill after family donation

Caitlin Tod (left), Isla Maloy, Akaila Haridayil, Baxter Craner, Max Bayliss, Eriez Bellamy and Nick Reed (principal), with Gavin Streeter who donated and helped install the HNPS solar panels. Photo / Supplied

Havelock North Primary School has nearly halved its power bill and could save $300,000 over the next 10 years after going solar.

Last year, $60,000 worth of solar panels were donated and installed by parent Gavin Streeter's business, Isaac's Plumbing Pumping & Electrical.

"We really wanted to donate a sustainable asset to the school which could have long-term benefits for our school, the community and our tamariki," Streeter said.

There has been a significant cost saving.

After installing the panels, the school's electricity usage was reduced from 11,000 kilowatts in February 2018 to 3000kW in February 2022.

Following some personal experiences with his daughter, Streeter was keen to see some savings going towards a health and wellbeing fund at the school that helps children who suffer from anxiety.

Each year the primary school allocates up to $5000 to bring in external counsellors to assist children who require some extra support.

"It's great to see Havelock North Primary providing some financial resource specifically to help children with anxiety and other wellbeing needs at this time."

As a parent, helping out the school with the solar panels was a no-brainer for Streeter.

"The great thing about this donation is that it keeps giving for the next 25 years and enables the support for kids that are having a tough time and need some extra help," he said.

Havelock North Primary School principal Nick Reed said the school was quick to embrace the Health and Wellbeing initiative, especially with the Covid pandemic, which had seen anxiety among children become more prevalent.

And the Streeter family's generous donation is helping the school work toward its target of Enviroschool Gold status.

"We are very grateful to the Streeter family for providing an asset to the school which can keep on giving. It's also helping reduce our carbon footprint as a school," Reed said

Along with the solar power panels, the school has also worked on educating the children about electricity savings.

The school's devices such as iPads and Chromebooks have an app installed where students can monitor solar energy generation.

"It's awesome to see the kids get excited and get behind this initiative; they are passionate to learn more about how electricity is generated," the principal said.

The app shows the power generated in real-time, meaning the students can see the immediate effects of the day's weather.

The school hopes to install more solar panels and is extending an invitation to other parents who may be keen to purchase panels for the school.

"The more solar panels we can get on our roofs, the better. We are keen to lead the way with our solar drive as we believe it's a win-win for our school and community," Reed said.

"The money that the school saves will continually be reinvested into our school and community now and for future generations."