Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Essendon Football
Club
Final Report
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
For:
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities
March 2011
Compiled by Bruce Neish
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3
2. Project overview ....................................................................................................... 3
3. Project objectives ..................................................................................................... 4
4. Process and methodology ........................................................................................ 4
5. Project scope ............................................................................................................ 5
Water efficiency......................................................................................................... 5
Energy efficiency ...................................................................................................... 6
6. Project results ........................................................................................................... 7
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
1. Introduction
This report is a review of the Essendon Football Club’s Windy Hill Green Precinct
Project. The project was undertaken at the Windy Hill Oval Precinct, located at
Napier Street, Essendon, Victoria.
Essendon Football Club originally commissioned water and energy audits to
establish baseline levels of consumption and to identify ways to reduce water and
energy use by:
Water

installing irrigation at Windy Hill Oval
Energy

upgrading the lighting throughout the precinct

installing a Building Management System (BMS)

upgrading the air conditioning plant infrastructure and operations.
Once the water and energy efficiency measures were identified, Essendon Football
Club conducted discussions with the Australian Government and received funding
under the Green Precincts Fund.
The Windy Hill Green Precinct Project was one of thirteen projects to receive funding
under the Australian Government’s Green Precincts Fund.
The project was funded on a dollar for dollar basis by the Australian Government and
Essendon Football Club. The total cost of the project was $1,895,454.
Essendon Football Club achieved all of the objectives for the project.
2. Project overview
The Windy Hill Green Precinct Project was undertaken as part of the Australian
Government’s Green Precincts Fund. This project was one of thirteen projects
nationwide to receive funding under the Green Precincts Fund.
The Green Precincts Fund is administered through the Department of Sustainability,
Environment, Water, Population and Communities (the department) and is designed
to support project initiatives that encourage water and energy savings measures at
the community level.
Prior to applying for the Green Precinct Fund, Essendon Football Club
commissioned water and energy audits to assess the condition of existing
infrastructure and to record water and energy use. These audits also offered
recommendations for reducing energy and water use.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Using the results from these audits as a basis, Essendon Football Club and the
department held discussions to establish objectives for a jointly funded project to
deliver long term energy and water use reductions at Windy Hill Oval Precinct.
A construction schedule for the project was drawn up and a funding timetable
established. Final agreement was reached between the parties and on 28 November
2008 a funding deed was executed by the department and Essendon Football Club
for the Windy Hill Green Precinct Project.
3. Project objectives
The objectives of the Windy Hill Green Precinct Project were to:

deliver direct environmental benefits from reducing potable water and non
renewable energy use at the precinct

reduce the precinct’s potable water use by half

raise community awareness about saving water and energy through the
demonstration of water and renewable energy efficiency measures

encourage take up of water and energy savings measures including use of
renewable energy in the home and at community facilities

demonstrate that the precinct playing surfaces can be maintained in a good
condition with the use of non potable water supplies.
4. Process and methodology
The first objective of the Windy Hill Green Precinct Project was to deliver direct
environmental benefits from reducing potable water and non renewable energy use
at the site. This was considered to be the prime objective as the success of the
remaining objectives was dependent on this objective being achieved.
Essendon Football Club had previously commissioned a water audit from Water
Wizz Pty Ltd and an energy audit from Coffey Environments Pty Ltd. The briefs for
these audits were to: record current and historical water and energy use levels;
assess the suitability of current infrastructure; and recommend the best options for
delivering direct environmental benefits as a result of reducing potable water and
non renewable energy use at the site.
Essendon Football Club did not place any limitations on what the auditors could
recommend in terms of the scale or cost of improvements.
The audits established base energy and water consumption levels and suggested a
number of ways to reduce the water and non renewable energy use to deliver direct
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
environmental benefits. Based on the audits, Essendon Football Club was able to
identify priorities to be incorporated into the Green Precinct Fund project, including:

installing irrigation at Windy Hill Oval.

upgrading the lighting throughout the precinct

installing a Building Management System

upgrading the air conditioning plant infrastructure and operations.
5. Project scope
Water efficiency
The most effective irrigation solution for Windy Hill Oval was identified as a system to
harvest stormwater, store it in an underground tank and treat it by means of a
desalination plant. This part of the project was tackled first as the oval’s irrigation
was identified as the highest source of water use at the precinct.
Stormwater harvesting and underground 800 kL water storage tank
The first step was to build a system to harvest stormwater. Plans were drawn up for
the construction of an 800 kL storage tank under the oval surface to store the
harvested water.
Tenders were sought for the construction of the tank and the quotes received all
proposed new cutting edge designs from local and overseas companies.
Piping was installed to collect rainwater from the roofs of the grandstands and the
Windy Hill Fitness Centre. In addition, the run-off water from the oval surface was
captured as the underground drainage system already in place under the oval
drained directly back into the storage tank, thereby recycling already recycled water.
Water bore and desalination plant
A water bore was included in the stormwater collection project along with an
accompanying desalination plant to extract the salt from the bore water. The bore
was drilled to100 metres and now provides a constant water flow to the desalination
plant. The water drawn from the bore is fed directly to the desalination plant,
processed and then pumped into the underground storage tank where it is mixed
with the stormwater.
The desalination plant has been designed to allow for low cost expansion of the
system through the installation of additional membranes, should a larger
supplemental water supply be required in future.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Energy efficiency
The energy efficiency projects selected as the most effective for the project were the
installation of a Building Management System and the upgrade of the lighting and air
conditioning systems.
Building Management System
A computerised Building Management System (BMS) was identified as the most
efficient way to control existing and planned water and energy infrastructure.
Tenders were sought for the provision of a BMS system and a consulting engineer
was employed to assess the tenders to ensure that the best system was selected.
The BMS provides direct control of all air conditioning and heating at the precinct.
This allows floor areas or building sections to have the units switched on or off,
subject to use. The BMS also controls the newly installed water harvesting and
irrigation systems as well as the operations of the Windy Hill Fitness Centre pool and
related plant and equipment.
The BMS operates as a constant monitoring and reporting base for all water,
electrical and gas use at the precinct. To enhance community engagement, the BMS
constantly generates real time data on water and energy use1 displayed on television
screens in the three main reception areas at the precinct.
Upgraded Lighting System
Much of the Windy Hill Oval Precinct was previously fitted with inefficient lights that
used short life globes and tubes which were costly to buy and to maintain.
A full audit of the old lighting system was carried out to ensure that the new system
met all safety regulations and that the placement of the new fittings was energy and
output efficient.
Transformer powered low voltage systems using compact fluorescent globes,
plasma globes and high efficiency electronic ballasts were installed. Light sensors
and movement sensors were also fitted to turn lights off when the light from outside
is sufficient and when no staff movement is present.
The new light fittings are designed to operate at much lower operating temperatures
than the old halogen and incandescent globes. The compact globes operate at 30
degrees Celsius whilst the older globes operated at up to 100 degrees Celsius; this
---------------------------------------------------
Through the BMS, the television screens provide daily details of energy and water use in
comparison to the same day 12 months ago. The television screens also provide a visual
display on the number of gas balloons saved through reduced carbon consumption at the
precinct.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
means that ambient air temperature stays lower, reducing the need for air
conditioning. The power use of each lighting circuit was tested during the audit and
again when the new components were fitted. An example of outstanding energy
reduction was recorded in the players’ gym where the main lighting circuit fell from
7.3 amps to 2.3 amps.
Air Conditioning Upgrade
To improve energy consumption:
1. The four oldest and most inefficient air conditioning systems were replaced at
the Windy Hill Community Social Club.
The old units were highly inefficient when assessed on power and energy use
against output. They also contained ozone depleting coolant gases that were
venting constantly into the atmosphere through leaks in the old pipelines and
condenser units.
The new units use 20 per cent less power, drive more efficient fans and use non
ozone depleting coolant gases.
2. The large old air conditioning unit at the Essendon Football Club Hall of Fame
Museum (which contained ozone depleting gases) was replaced with a modern
system that operates on 20 per cent less power and is fitted with an economy
cycle. It allows the air from the museum to be recycled without the need to vent
large volumes of already heated or cooled air into the atmosphere.
6. Project results
Objective 1: deliver direct environmental benefits from reducing potable water
and non renewable energy use at Windy Hill Green Precinct
Reducing potable water
The water efficiency systems installed as part of the project has enabled Essendon
Football Club to reduce potable water consumption at the precinct by 54 per cent in
2010 compared to water consumption 2007. See Objective 2 for more information.
Non Renewable Energy Reduction
Table 1 shows how much energy was used at the three main venues in the precinct
in 2007/08 compared to 2010.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Table 1: Energy use at the precinct in 2007/08 compared to 2010
Venue
Year
Usage
(KwH)
Year
Usage
(KwH)
Saving
%
Administration Building
2007/08
292 344
2010
221 629
70 715
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Windy Hill Community Social
Club
Windy Hill Fitness Centre
2007/08
1 209 467
2010
1 110 141
99 326
8
2007/08
702 994
2010
565 254
137 740
19
1 897 024
307 781
14
Total
2 204 805
The 2007-2008 figures show the energy being used at the time of the energy audit,
prior to the implementation of the project.
The 2010 figures show the energy used by the administration building, the Windy Hill
Community Social Club (see attachment A) and the Windy Hill Fitness Centre (see
attachment B) after the upgrade.
The Administration Building recorded a 24 per cent drop in energy consumption. The
Windy Hill Fitness Centre recorded a 19 per cent drop in energy consumption. The
Windy Hill Social Club recorded the lowest drop in energy use over the period,
however, installation of the four new energy efficient air conditioning units at this site
was not completed until 28 February 2011 (see attachments C&D) and is therefore
not reflected in the 2010 readings.
The readings for the Windy Hill Social Club in 2012 should therefore record a further
drop in energy use in line with the savings these units are designed to produce.
Overall, a 14 per cent or a 307 781 KwH saving has been achieved for the precinct
and the resultant drop in carbon emissions related to the production of that energy
achieved over the same period.
The other large saving not reflected in the data is the savings made by Essendon
Football Club in not having to replace halogen globes every 1 000 hours and the
labour incurred in this maintenance exercise. With over one thousand light fittings in
use at the precinct, approximately $10 000 will be saved each year in maintenance
costs. Most of the globes and tubes used in the new light fittings last 10 000 to 20
000 hours, only requiring replacement every 1 - 2 years.
The overall decrease in energy consumption can be directly related to the installation
of the BMS and the upgrade of the lighting system of the precinct.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Objective 2: reduce the precinct’s potable water use by half
The precinct has been able to reduce its potable water consumption by 54 per cent
for the year 2010 compared to 2007. This was achieved by: the installation of an 800
kL underground tank; stormwater harvesting from the grandstand and building roofs;
oval run-off; the installation of a bore; and the installation of a desalination plant.
The reduction in potable water use has meant that 13 056 kL less per annum is
being drawn from City West Water’s potable water supplies.
Potable water use should continue to decrease as the drought conditions ease and
the stormwater harvesting and desalination plant supply is extended to other tenants
at the precinct.
Table 2 is an extract from the City West Water Windy Hill precinct water map which
confirms the reduction of potable water consumption.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Table 2: City West Water Windy Hill precinct water map
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
Objective 3: raise community awareness about saving water and energy
through the demonstration of water and renewable energy efficiency measures
and
Objective 4: encourage take up of water and energy savings measures
including use of renewable energy in the home and at community facilities
One of the main facets of the project was the installation of the Building Management
System (BMS). The BMS not only provides a platform for the control of all plant and
equipment at the precinct, but also operates as a constant monitoring and reporting
base for all water and energy consumption. The BMS is programmed to constantly
generate real time data displayed on large television screens that are in constant
operation in the main reception areas at the precinct.
These television screens raise awareness about water and energy savings that can
be generated through efficiency measures. They encourage visitors to consider
renewable energy use in the home and at community facilities.
The Windy Hill Oval Precinct, including the football club, the Hall of Fame Museum,
the fitness centre and the community social club, has been recognised as a main
community hub in the north western Melbourne metropolitan region for over 80
years, with more than 26 000 visitors each week.
The Windy Hill Fitness Centre (WHFC) has 13 000 visitors each week comprising:
WHFC members; school and community groups using the swimming programs; and
casual visitors using the facilities including, water aerobic classes, fitness classes
and aerobic cycling classes. The centre is open from 5.30 am until 10.00 pm daily
and all visitors must pass through the main reception foyer past the television screen
generating real time data from the BMS.
The Windy Hill Community Social Club (WHCSC) has 13 000 visitors each week and
every visitor must pass through the main reception lobby and past the television
screen. These visitors are: WHCSC members; community groups including Rotary,
Lions Club and Probus who hold regular weekly meetings; school and community
groups who hold meetings; people attending in service programs and conferences
on the premises; as well as members of the general public attending social
gatherings and functions across three large function rooms.
Essendon Football Club visitors include: suppliers and contractors; members of the
media; and visitors to the Hall of Fame Museum, again, all of whom have to pass
through the main lobby and past the television n screen. Tours of the Museum and
the
Windy Hill heritage precinct are regularly conducted. The tours consist of around 20
people on a 40 minute tour, which includes a full explanation and tour of the water
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
and energy saving installations. Groups that have participated in tours and
inspections of the new facilities include:

engineers from Geelong Council inspecting the precinct in relation to the water
retention project at Kardinia Park Oval, Geelong, Victoria

engineers and project managers from Launceston City Council inspecting the
precinct in relation to the water retention project at York Park (Aurora Stadium),
Invermay, Tasmania

project managers from Glen Eira Council inspecting the precinct in relation to
water retention works for parks and gardens

engineers and representatives of the City of Hume Council inspecting the
precinct in relation to the water retention project at Melrose Drive, Tullamarine,
Victoria

pupils from primary and secondary schools from the City of Moonee Valley and
surrounding council area

attendees at the ICLEI and City West Water Seminar, held 20 April 2011
which covered: reverse osmosis water treatment plants and sub surface
tanks, irrigation systems for alternative water sources, stormwater harvest and
treatment, and City West Water’s water and energy efficiency program, as
well as an inspection tour of the Windy Hill Precinct water saving project.
Essendon Football Club has met the community engagement objectives of the
project through the: installation of the BMS; public television kiosks in the main three
foyers at the precinct; hosted tours; seminars; and events. Furthermore, the club has
promoted energy and water saving measures and encouraged the take up of these
measures at home and in community facilities.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
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Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
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Objective 5: demonstrate that the Windy Hill precinct playing surfaces can be
maintained in a good condition with the use of non potable water supplies.
Since the completion of the water efficiency initiatives in 2009, all irrigation at the
precinct uses non potable water gathered onsite.
The non potable water is harvested from roof tops and oval surface water run-off and
is supplemented by the water bore and desalination plant installed next to the Windy
Hill Oval. The water is stored under the oval’s surface in an 800 kL tank.
It has been calculated that 25 mm of rainfall provides approximately 300 kL of
stormwater and that the daily output from the desalination plant is 30 kL.
A full irrigation cycle for the oval requires 80 kL, which, during the height of summer,
may be required five times a week. Even with a full storage tank there is only a two
week irrigation supply on hand and, without rainfall, the bore and desalination plant
will only produce 210 kL per week, providing a top up of 2.6 full irrigation cycles.
Careful management of the non potable water supply is essential to provide a
balanced irrigation regime to the oval in times of low rainfall. In the future, extra
membranes costing $8 000 each can be installed in the desalination plant to
increase daily output by an extra 15 kL per day, to a total of 45 kL per day. This
would then provide a full five irrigation cycles of 80 kL per week, without the need for
rainfall.
The application of non potable water has had no detrimental effect on the turf texture
or turf surface coverage and the store of non potable water has allowed for extra
summer irrigation which has assisted in preserving the turf and promoting growth
during our hottest months.
For the 2010/11 cricket season, the Victorian Cricket Association rated Windy Hill
Oval second to the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the best playing surface in the
competition by only one percentage point2.
In the transition from cricket turf conditions to football surface
preparation was seamless due to the high growth rate of turf attained and maintained
during summer. The oval cricket wicket surface (consisting of Merri Creek mud), has
been bound well by the dense turf cover promoted through irrigation, and as a result,
did not degrade into a muddy patch in the centre of the ground a couple of weeks
into the football season as it has for the previous 80 years.
All of these good outcomes are testament that the oval surface can be maintained in
a good condition with the use of non potable water supplies.
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Essendon Football Club
Windy Hill Green Precinct Project
Final Report
------------------------------------------------------2
Source: CityWide Ground Maintenance Contractors
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