As of this week the Wanaka Community Pool is being heated by a brand new fuel efficient wood boiler, Queenstown Lakes District Council community services general manager Paul Wilson said.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council applied to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) for a $270,000 interest-free crown loan to fund the replacement of the electric boiler at the Wanaka pool. The savings on the power bill will pay off the loan.

“The really fantastic element to this is that the fuel will eventually be made from wilding conifers which are a huge issue in the district,’ QLDC district forester Briana Pringle said.

The new wood boiler was capable of delivering heat at significantly lower costs and with substantially lower carbon emissions (wood biomass is carbon neutral and fits with the New Zealand Energy Strategy) and was compliant with the Otago Regional Council’s Air Plan.

“Replacing the current electric boiler has introduced technology capable of producing heat at a materially lower cost compared to current technologies. The cost of electricity has risen lately and may continue to increase,” Mr Wilson said. 

QLDC Deputy Mayor and Wanaka Community Board Chairman Lyal Cocks applauded the project, saying the payback and sustainability were a good news story for the community.

“This project sets a positive example for other heat users in the area to get on board and convert to similar heating schemes; it also opens up doors for new developments in the region to heat with wood,” Deputy Mayor Cocks said.

The new Wanaka Pool boiler was a containerised wood chip boiler, which had the bonus of being transportable and in the future could be used at the new Wanaka Aquatic Centre.

“The benefits of this project are an attractive payback period and continued savings for the community. Installing wood fuelled boilers creates a demand for locally sourced wood chip,’ Ms Pringle said.

Most wilding conifers had no economic value as a timber resource, so the whole tree could be used as fuel and a ‘pest’ could be turned into a valuable resource.

The wood chip would be supplied from Naseby initially, but QLDC local forest estate had the potential to be used to heat the Wanaka pool.

The plan was that wood fuel used by the boiler could be processed and carted by local contractors supporting local jobs (ongoing use of local transport contractors and labour to process, transport and handle the wood fuel).

“Ultimately there will only be short trucking distances between the forest and boiler and this creates a positive green footprint for the Council and is a great example of reduced emissions and sustainability for the community,’ Ms Pringle said.

EECA had advised that there were also interested parties in Queenstown looking at converting to wood energy so there was potential in the future for QLDC to explore the idea of setting up a wood chip venture, Mr Wilson said.

Meanwhile the EECA further funded a feasibility study on the viability of installing a central wood chip boiler heating system for Queenstown Airport, Lakes District Hospital, Alpine Aqualand and the Queenstown Events Centre (Frankton Flats Heating Feasibility Study).

“The conclusion was that a centralised wood-chip boiler plant was not considered feasible as the energy supply costs (including maintenance and capital investment cost for new plant required at each site) were higher than the current existing energy supply costs,” Mr Wilson said.

However the study was still a valuable resource and was now available on the Council’s website Frankton Heat Study.

 

By: Jo Blick