This project required the urgent replacement of an ageing diesel boiler at Bayswater School in Auckland that was burning non-renewable fossil fuel. Replacement parts were no longer available in the case of any breakdown. The diesel fuel tank was non-compliant with current environmental regulations, but the radiators in the classrooms which were used for the central heating system were still in good condition and had been recently refurbished.

Apricus NZ Eco Energy provided Sustainability Contestable Fund application support and arranged the supply and installation of a Pellematic 64kW pellet boiler from ÖkoFEN, Austria. The boiler will provide Bayswater school with reliable and efficient central heating through its current radiator system. The boiler and plant room design was checked by mechanical services contractor Tubman Heating who also aided in the installation of the system.

The boilers come with a ten-year warranty with all spare parts and warranty replacements being held on-shore in New Zealand.

By installing a new and efficient pellet boiler Bayswater school can reduce around 99% of its greenhouse gas emissions and benefit from an estimated 41 % reduction in costs compared to its previous use of diesel fuel.

*The fuel cost has been calculated based on current fuel consumption and a quote for fuel supply from Nature’s Flame, which was offered with a 5 year, fixed-price contract.

The old system:

• In 2018, Bayswater School burned 2,152 litres of diesel
• This cost the school $3,020
• The cost of fuel was $1.40/litre or $0.14/kWh
• This cost is expected to rise in future as the price of carbon continues to rise and fossil fuels deplete further
• The burning of this diesel emitted 5,724 kg carbon dioxide, contributing to the climate crisis
• This is the equivalent of travelling 26,018km in an average modern car
• Or over 20 return journeys by car between Wellington and Auckland
• Each student at the school was indirectly responsible for 25kg of CO2emissions per year, just by coming to school

The new system:

• Uses 100% renewable being made from waste sawdust
• The forecast annual cost of fuel is $1,790
• The cost of pellet fuel will be $416.13/tonne or $0.08/kWh
• This quantity of pellets will emit 65kg of carbon dioxide
• This equates to indirect emissions per student of less than 0.3kg
• With annual emissions of 65kg CO2we could barely drive from Bayswater to Pokeno

The anticipated heating requirement will mean only one delivery of pellets per year is required. The pellets will be delivered by a vacuum truck which can visit outside of school hours and only needs to get within 20m of the boiler room using a blower hose. The pellets are completely harmless, non-toxic and cannot ignite except in the boiler with forced air combustion.

The maintenance requirements on the Pellematic boilers are extremely low with the ash container only needing to be emptied after 3-4 tonnes of operation (after approximately 20 weeks based on our school’s heating load). The ash is a certified organic fertiliser and can be placed directly on our marakai.