Baw Baw Shire Council's biggest gas consumer will see a massive overhaul with a new pool heating system to be rolled out at the Warragul Leisure Centre in the 2027-2028 financial year.
Baw Baw Shire Council has received more than $1.1 million from the Australian Government through the $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund.
Council will match this grant and contribute more than $1 million toward the project, bringing its total value to approximately $2.29 million, at one of the Shire's most loved community recreational facilities.
The new heating system will be used across all of the pools at the Leisure Centre, including the outdoor pool, improving usability for members.
Baw Baw Shire Mayor Cr Kate Wilson says Council was thrilled to receive this grant, which will help it to significantly reduce its carbon emissions per year and make the centre more financially sustainable.
"By installing this new heating system at the Leisure Centre, which is the biggest gas consumer across all of our Council facilities, it is projected that we'll be slashing our carbon emissions by 750 tonnes, therefore reducing them by over 80 per cent for the centre per year" she said.
"This project demonstrates our commitment to a more sustainable future as presented in our Council Plan 2025-2029 and Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2022-2030."
Cr Wilson added that with this upgrade, the pool system will operate largely on electricity rather than gas, delivering cost savings for Council and the community under the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO) program.
The Leisure Centre is expected to have an annual energy cost saving of around $308,000 per year once the new system is operational. Combined with the 200 kW solar system installed at the centre last year, the site is now significantly reducing both emissions and energy costs.
