Council expects to deliver more than $60,000 in electricity savings and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 917 tonnes a year through the operation of a
new energy production system at Ringwood Aquatic Centre (RAC).

The gas fired cogeneration system, delivered to the centre last Thursday, converts heat produced by two gas fired engines into usable energy to warm pool water and generate electricity for the facility.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, said the system was great news for the environment.

“This initiative is part of Council’s ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint toward the goal of carbon neutrality by 2020,” Cr Makin said.

“The $376,000 project is co-funded by the Federal Government through its Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program ($250,000) and Council ($126,000),” Cr Makin said.

“This project will lead to significant energy savings and a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at RAC,” Cr Makin said.

“Once it’s up and running this February, the system will join the range of Council’s sustainability initiatives in place throughout the municipality,” Cr Makin said.

“An example of two of the larger sustainability projects completed last year was the installation of an innovative filtration system at Croydon Memorial Pool and a backwash water recycling system at Croydon Leisure and Aquatic Centre, which is expected to save a combined seven million litres of water per annum,” Cr Makin said.

“Council will continue to implement environmentally sustainable initiatives at its facilities in a bid to cut resource use and reduce greenhouse emissions,” Cr Makin said.