Many Aucklanders in need can look forward to having a hot shower through the generosity of an Auckland company.
Water heating specialists, Rinnai NZ, have donated a $50,000 state-of-the-art hot water system and installed it in the Auckland City Mission's newly opened 11-storey HomeGround complex.
The nine-boiler gas-based system, which creates significant power savings for the mission by the re-use of waste heat, was offered after the company wanted to use its expertise to help a good cause, according to managing director Ray Ferner.
"We're driven by a goal to make people's lives better by providing healthy and comfortable living environments and when we knew the mission was looking to buy a unit commercially, we said we could sponsor it," he says.
"They are very dedicated and what they do to help people in need is remarkable. We are very happy knowing that everyone who needs hot water while at HomeGround - whether to take a shower or cook food - will have it on demand."
The purpose-built HomeGround community hub for transformation and healing opened earlier this year at a time when Covid-19 induced demand for the mission's services ramped up dramatically over the past two years.
It has a wide range of services and facilities for people in greatest need including permanent housing. It has 80 apartments, rooftop garden and lounge, community dining room, community spaces, health centre, pharmacy, addiction withdrawal services and retail spaces.
About 50 of the 80 apartments are tenanted with the rest expected to be filled over the next two months. Tenants sign a tenancy agreement and pay rent. To qualify they must be on the social housing register which means they are either homeless or are in a vulnerable housing situation.
Most of the apartments are studio size and include a kitchen, laundrette, bathroom, main room, and deck with sliding doors. Five of the studios are accessible and there are 10 one- bedroom apartments. Each comes fully-furnished.
Ferner says over the past 10 years Rinnai has supported the Plumbing Industries Charitable Trust that has donated around $1.5m to charities, most of which has gone to organisations working with youths at risk.
"That had come to a natural end so we were looking to use our expertise with another community group. The mission relies on community help and when we heard they were looking to buy (a hot water system) we thought it would be a good cause to support.
"How life changing is having something as basic as hot water? Even a roof over our heads is a luxury these days for so many," he says.
Rinnai began working on the project in 2019 and partly because of delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, completed the installation this year. The system includes nine N56 boilers, two common header flue systems and dual boiler pump and control system.
Ferner says it is a highly efficient system and is a perfect solution for commercial operations with high water demand. He says it functions around 12 per cent more efficiently than standard gas water heating systems and is able to recover up to 90 per cent of the energy.
"The running costs would be the lowest its possible to achieve," he says. "The N56 is being installed in many buildings across the country including 5-Green Star rated Britomart Hotel in Auckland's CBD.
"All the boilers are commonly controlled and only use the capability in demand at any one time. It is also an intelligent system in that it ensures all boilers get equal use - and is future-proofed for the move into alternative renewable gases with the boilers being able to operate with blends containing up to 30 per cent hydrogen."
The boilers and pump controller are monitored by the mission's extensive on-site Building Management System (BMS). Ferner says Rinnai has also undertaken to provide on-site maintenance of the system for five years: "We've said we'll fix anything that fails, but obviously we're not expecting it."
For more information go to: https://rinnai.co.nz/