Huntly Aquatic Centre flicks the switch from gas to electricity to heat pools

Huntly Aquatic Centre is going green using electricity to heat the swimming pools. Photo / Supplied

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Waikato District Council is flicking the switch from gas to electricity to heat the Huntly Aquatic Centre.

The project is estimated to cost $395,000, but the council received $158,000 of funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority's (EECA) Technology Demonstration Fund.

The funding will be used to help replace a gas boiler with an electric heat pump system that will heat the indoor spaces, showers and other hot water, as well as the pool. Installation of the heat pump is set to begin next year.

The change to electricity is expected to reduce the council's corporate emissions by about 14 per cent (or 153 tonnes of CO2-e emissions) each year, taking effect in 2024.

Deputy mayor Aksel Bech says the council's priority is to act on its biggest contributors to emissions.

"Our council is placing priority on the areas we control or can influence, and response to climate change requires actions immediately."

Council chief executive Gavin Ion says the council was grateful for the EECA contribution.

"The funding enables us to act on our commitments within our Climate Resilience and Response Plan and I want to acknowledge the efforts by staff and the region's energy advisor Martin Lynch, who led the application process."

EECA chief executive Andrew Caseley says electrified heating of council-owned swimming pools is an "obvious" decarbonisation opportunity.

"There is still significant use of fossil fuel boilers to heat pool water and space heating of indoor pools, all of which can be achieved with the use of high-efficiency industrial heat pumps.

"There is an opportunity to further deploy heat pump technology in aquatic centres around New Zealand, and this co-funding for local government decarbonisation projects will help address persisting barriers to uptake."

Waikato District Council is currently developing a climate strategy and roadmap looking at other projects where greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.

One project is already planned for later this year: Increasing the number of hybrid vehicles in the council's fleet and introducing fully electric vehicles and chargers.