By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council has scaled down its world-beating projections on the proposed Dandenong Wellbeing Centre’s energy-efficiency.
Earlier this month, the all-electric $98 million aquatic centre – to replace Dandenong Oasis – was touted to use 204 kWh per square metre.
City improvement manager Craig Cinquegrana at a 27 March council meeting said the original figure had been offset by the centre’s rooftop PV solar energy.
Without the solar offset, the DWC’s efficiency was 261 kWh per year.
“There was no error made in the calculations about the energy intensity,” he said.
Councillor Rhonda Garad said it did appear that the initial figure was “calculated incorrectly by using solar inputs”.
She still had doubts on the revised figure that “appears to be the best in the universe”.
Cr Garad was concerned about the DWC’s expanses of glass and the resultant and costly loss of heat.
Yet the projected revised efficiency still far surpasses a high-tech ‘Passivhaus’ design in St Sidwell’s Point Centre in Exeter, UK with a 375 kWh per square metre efficiency.
Other facilities in Victoria range between 415-1,666 kWh per square metre.
In comparison, the Oasis centre currently uses 750 kWh per square metre.
The council recently announced an independent audit to verify the DWC project’s green credentials as “additional due diligence”.
Chief executive Jacqui Weatherill recently said the DWC was the third all-electric aquatic centre behind Brimbank and Northcote to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
It is said to exceed City of Greater Dandenong’s targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.
Other aquatic centres in Victoria and the St Sidwell’s facility ran primarily on gas heating, with some on co-generation, Ms Weatherill said.
“Unlike the St Sidwell facility, the DWC uses all electric technology, making the DWC an exceptionally energy efficient building,” Ms Weatherill said.
The Federal Government has pledged $20 million to the DWC and an upgrade of NPAC. About $17 million of that will go to the DWC project.
The council has lobbied for the State Government to also contribute $20 million.
It aims to start construction next year, and open in 2026.
