Christchurch Metro Sports Facility to feature innovative Waste Heat Recovery technology

Moving towards completion in 2022, Christchurch’s Metro Sports Facility is set to feature New Zealand’s first Waste-Water Heat Recovery System.

The system works by re-using waste heat energy that has already been paid for to produce approximately 3500kW of energy per annum for heating at the new facility, which is the equivalent of powering up to 2000 homes per day.

The eco-friendly energy system replaces the practice were hot water from showers, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines and even toilets goes down the drain, which sees the temperature of the major wastewater pipe running down Christchurch’s St Asaph Street where the Facility is located to a 17 degrees Celsius. The Waste-Water Heat Recovery System will be able to capture and recycle this otherwise wasted energy to help heat the pools and building.

Part of the St Asaph Street wastewater pipe flow will be redirected into a building in the Metro Sports Facility’s car park, where the heat can be extracted through heat exchangers and used to warm the water being supplied to the Facility’s heat pumps.

Key to the innovation is for the sewage to be 'screened' to filter unwanted material and enable the flow to pass through the heat exchanger.

Image: Concept for the interior of the Christchurch Metro Sports Facility.