Macleans College conversion to renewable heating a clear winner for Auckland

Efforts to improve Auckland’s air quality are being given a boost by the education sector, with Macleans College the first school in the city to convert its heating system to run on renewable wood pellet fuel. Up to 40 schools in the greater Auckland area could now adopt the fuel, meaning a marked reduction in particulate and carbon dioxide emissions and in waste to landfill.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and Auckland Regional Council (ARC) have supported the Bucklands Beach high school’s conversion. EECA provided funding to gain a resource consent from the ARC for 40 city schools to convert to wood-energy heating and also contributed to the cost of converting the school’s boiler to use the new fuel.

“For most schools in the city considering a change to a cleaner form of heating, the obvious alternative is natural gas but, as well as a cleaner fuel we wanted a low-carbon, renewable option and we liked the idea that we didn’t have to buy a new gas boiler or a large number of heat pumps,” says Macleans Deputy Principal Simon Peek. “With wood pellet fuel we’ve been able to adapt our existing boiler and it will now serve the school for many more years. EECA’s help in securing the resource consent means many other schools in the city can now also consider wood energy as an option and that’s going to be good for air quality.”

Macleans College is one of 31 schools around the country to receive funding from EECA’s pilot Renewable Heating for Schools project. The pilot project has provided funding to assist schools to convert or replace their existing coal-fired boilers, and then monitor and evaluate the transition. The data and analysis will be used as the basis to widen the programme, possibly to convert the remaining 640 schools around the country still using coal. Schools seeking assistance now with conversions are able to apply through EECA’s contestable Wood Energy Grants Scheme.

Macleans College’s wood pellets are made by Nature’s Flame, a Solid Energy business. Alongside its coal business, Solid Energy is developing some of the promising energy solutions that will help to power New Zealand’s future. As well as wood pellets, these include biodiesel from used cooking oil and rapeseed oil, solar and new cleaner ways of using coal.

Andy Matheson, Solid Energy’s General Manager of Renewable Energy, says Nature’s Flame is now supplying about 40 schools around the country with wood pellet heating fuel. “Schools’ support for the fuel is very encouraging,” he says. “In most cases school boards have used an expert advisor to look at the alternatives and seen that, because their existing boilers have the potential for many more years of reliable service, the lower capital cost of modifying existing equipment makes the most sense. I think that knowing the fuel supply and quality is backed by Solid Energy is another positive.”

Made from renewable pine wood waste, the pellets are delivered in bulk to the school’s bunker. Nature’s Flame wood pellets create very few emissions and a minimal amount of ash, meaning school caretakers spend much less time in winter servicing their boilers. As well, the ash from Nature’s Flame wood pellets has BioGro organic certification, meaning less demand on landfills as it can be safely used as a garden fertiliser supplement.

Nature’s Flame produces its wood pellets at factories in Rotorua and Rolleston, near Christchurch. A third plant, now under construction near Taupo, will double annual production capacity to 120,000 tonnes a year.
● On Thursday (21 May, from 9am-2pm) Macleans College is hosting an information day for any Auckland area school administrators or caretakers interested in learning about its heating conversion.

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