Weymouth RFC

Advancing Sustainability: Weymouth Rugy Football Club's Hot Water Upgrade

When faced with an aging gas boiler at Weymouth Rugby Football Club (RFC), Deena Benjamin and Rich Gregory of the Auckland City Council saw an opportunity to innovate. Instead of a straightforward replacement, they chose to contribute to a sustainable future. This decision led to Hot Water Heat Pumps Ltd being approached for a solution.

The Solution from Hot Water Heat Pumps

Our task was clear—revamp Weymouth RFC's domestic hot water (DHW) system to reduce their carbon footprint, cut operational costs, and ensure a reliable, efficient hot water supply. We engineered a cutting-edge system featuring two 7GD10E-3 units and two 800 litre hot water cylinders. These heat pumps use our patented single-pass technology to deliver 460 litres per hour of hot water directly to the cylinders at a consistent 60°C.

We also incorporated an advanced controls/remote monitoring upgrade package into the system. This addition allows us to gather data and report on their financial savings, carbon reduction and vital system information, which we expect to verify our theoretical calculations.

Considering the location near the Manukau Harbour, we applied a Bygold treatment upgrade to both heat pumps to prevent potential corrosion.

Citycare Property was brought on board to install the system under our guidance to ensure the design was accurately implemented.

We expect that the new system will greatly improve energy efficiency. Despite the annual requirement of 24,800kWh to heat the cylinders, we're only expecting to consume 10,300kWh—an impressive energy efficiency gain of approximately 58%.

The running costs should also reduce to $1,984 per year—a cost reduction of 21.4% compared to a gas system.

Decarbonisation is a key feature and we've made substantial strides in reducing the environment impact. The new system will only emit 1,242kg CO2e annually, making a remarkable 78.1% reduction compared to a conventional gas system.

The Weymouth RFC DHW upgrade is more than just a project, it's a testament to the potential of sustainable innovation. By choosing an efficient heat pump system over a traditional gas boiler, we've not only improved their facilities but also significantly reduced the environmental footprint and operational costs. This case study serves as a shining example for other community sports facilities aiming to merge environmental sustainability with operational efficiency.