Hawkes Bay Regional Council: Solar panel initiative shelved

Solar panels have been found to be uneconomic for the Hawke's Bay Regional Council building unless a subsidising grant can be obtained. Photo/Warren Buckland.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council has decided against installing solar panels on its Napier building because the power bill savings don't justify the costs of using the sun's rays for heating.

A report presented to last week's meeting of the environment and services committee said staff investigated the feasibility of installing a solar panel system on the north-facing roof of the council's Dalton St headquarters and found that the estimated $45,430 cost would result in a reduction in annual energy costs of $3000.

"It was decided that with a payback period of 16 years, this system was not worthwhile," the report said, as part of a wider update for councillors on energy-saving initiatives and climate change issues.

The report outlined recent scientific findings and the expected impact of climate change on Hawke's Bay, along with initiatives the council was taking to make the region "resilient" to those effects, and steps the organisation was taking to reduce its own carbon emissions.

Community initiatives listed in the report included promoting the proposed Ruataniwha dam and water storage scheme in Central Hawke's Bay, investigating water harvesting in the Ngaruroro River catchment and improving flood protection on the Heretaunga Plains.

The report also said the council's investment in the Heatsmart programme - which provided grants and loans to upgrade home insulation or install "clean heat" systems - had resulted in healthier homes and more efficient use of energy for home heating.

Initiatives to reduce the council organisation's own emissions included buying more efficient vehicles, improving the climate control system in offices and installing low-power LED lighting.

The council offset its carbon footprint through the various tree and shrub planting initiatives it had across the region, the report said.

The Dalton St office gained silver certification under the Enviromark environmental management assessment scheme in 2011 and the council was aiming to achieve the more prestigious gold ranking once remedial repair work to the building was completed over the next month or so.

Extensive recladding and remedial work on the building, expected to cost $2.2 million, has been underway since March.

The council is taking legal action against Herbert Construction, which built the building in 2005, and others involved in the project, saying the construction was defective.

It has previously said it will "make every attempt" to recover the cost of the remediation work.

And while the idea of adding solar panels to the newly rejuvenated building has been put in the shade for now, it could still see the light of day.

The council's climate change report said staff were still exploring the option of applying for a grant to subsidise the cost of the system.