“Bankstown Basketball Stadium will be saving 75 – 80% off their hot water bills.”
Bankstown Basketball Stadium in Sydney, NSW, is the centre of the local sporting community, providing opportunities to children and young adults of all ages to learn, play and develop social skills in a safe and friendly environment.
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Project overview
Location
Bankstown, Sydney
System Size
10kW
Solar Panels
45 x 235W REC
Solar Inverter
SMA SB 10000TL
Solar Hot Water
4 x Siddons
Completion Date
October 2010
The challenge: Rising energy costs
General Manager Alex Bacic recognised that escalating power bills were a major issue for the non-profit facility.
General Manager of the stadium, Alex Bacic, was concerned with overall energy consumption. “Hundreds of kilowatts of electricity are consumed powering the bright stadium lights and shower facilities, among other things, on a weekly basis. Being a non-profit organisation, one of my main priorities is to keep costs down. With all the speculation about rising electricity prices, I decided to look at minimising my costs through energy reduction and generation”, said Mr Bacic.
With mounting operating expenses, Bacic knew the stadium needed an energy-efficient solution to reduce reliance on the grid and lower energy bills. The solar power option became a logical choice for its long-term sustainability and return on investment.
Funding the solar project
To make the solar initiative possible, the stadium applied for a grant from the NSW Government under the Communities NSW Sport and Recreation program. This funding allowed the management to explore renewable energy solutions and partner with a trusted commercial solar installer.
After receiving several quotes from Sydney-based solar suppliers, Bacic decided that Energy Matters offered the best value. The key deciding factor was the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) price structure.
“I was quite impressed with the fact that when it came to the pricing, Energy Matters had hedged the price of RECs, which significantly reduced the price of the system. Others were quoting much less per REC. I was able to maximise the grant – and even get solar hot water systems and change to energy efficient lighting,” Bacic explained.
Energy Matters Sales Consultant, Mark Abicht, advised him on the most suitable solar system to offset the stadium’s power consumption, installed solar hot water systems to power the four shower blocks and shared some simple tips to reduce power consumption at the facility, such as installing new energy–efficient light fittings.
REC solar panels were chosen for their cost-to-efficiency ratio. After installing four Siddons solar hot water systems for the four shower blocks, the stadium reduced hot water consumption by 75–80% compared to its previous electric hot water system.
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