The replacement of an aging coal boiler burning non-renewable fossil fuel at Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake o Tawhiuau in Murupara has meant creating a healthier environment for the tamariki as well as the wider community. The caretaker is no longer required to spend 6 - 8 hours a week during winter emptying unburnt coal slag from the boiler. 

Apricus NZ Eco Hot Water and Heating provided Sustainability Contestable Fund application support and arranged the supply and installation of a cascade of 2 x Pellematic 64kW pellet boilers. The boiler and plant room design has been checked by our mechanical services contractor Renewable Energy Ltd who also aided in the installation. The new and efficient ÖkoFEN pellet boiler was installed in the current plant room and connected to the existing central heating system of radiators. Because of the cold and damp climate in Murupara the classrooms now have reliable high-temperature heating throughout winter.

With the previous system it was often hard to order parts for the old boiler due to the fact they were no longer manufactured and difficult to source. The ÖkoFEN boilers come with a ten-year warranty with all spare parts and warranty replacements being held on-shore in New Zealand.

The new system is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 99.2% compared to the previous use of coal.

The previous system:

• Burned 8.52 tonnes of coal a year
• This cost the school $3,025
• This cost is expected to rise in future as the price of carbon continues to rise and fossil fuel deplete further
• The burning of this coal emitted 18,249 kg carbon dioxide.
• This is the equivalent of travelling 82,952 km in an average modern car
• That is over 90 return journeys by car between Murupara and Wellington or twice around the world by car!
• Each student at the school was indirectly responsible for 212kg of CO2 emissions per year

The new system:

• A forecast of 11 tonnes of pellets would be needed per year
• With an estimated annual cost of fuel is $4,000
• Pellet fuel will be $381.57/tonne or $0.07/kWh
• This quantity of pellets will emit 163kg of carbon dioxide in total
• With annual emissions of 163kg CO2
• This equates to indirect emissions per student of less than 2kg

The cost of fuel was offered with a 5 year, fixed-price contract.  

The new pellet storage ensures the school always has fuel on-site for reliable heating. Pellets are delivered by a vacuum truck which visits the school outside of school hours and only needs to get within 20m of the boiler room using a blower hose. As opposed to the previous coal system the pellets are completely harmless, non-toxic and cannot ignite except in the boiler with a forced-air combustion.

The maintenance requirements on the Pellematic boilers are extremely low. The ash container only needs 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.

The NZ distributor of ÖkoFEN boilers Apricus NZ Eco Hot Water and Heating has developed curriculum based resources that will be provided to the school as part of the transformation.