Holland Aquatic Center was recently awarded one of the largest rebates given this year by SEMCO Energy through its Energy Waste Reduction Program. A $81,624.35 check was presented to HAC for energy savings it incurred with the high efficiency boiler system installed as part of its recently completed $26.3 million expansion and renovation project.
Six new boilers provide heating and cooling to all nine of HAC’s pools — holding 1.3 million gallons of water — and to the facility’s 128,520 square footage. Following architectural and HVAC engineering recommendations, HAC also added seven destratification ceiling fans to its pools areas which deliver warm air to the surface in the winter and cooler air to the decks in the summer.
Mark Pruchniewski, senior commercial energy advisor at SEMCO, estimated that HAC’s new boiler system provided energy savings of 92,047 therms in its first year of use. That represents a monetary savings of $15,650 annually over the course of the system’s life.
“That Holland Aquatic Center installed so much high efficiency equipment in its expansion project is very impressive,” said Pruchniewski. “Its green initiatives are very good right now and I foresee HAC staying on top of those initiatives because of how well its facility is managed and maintained.”
“Holland Aquatic Center and our architectural and engineering teams completed a lot of work to right size our new facility with the best possible equipment,” said Jack Huisingh, HAC’s executive director. “This equipment is working very well, offering us savings as we run our programs. This rebate award is a great example our desire to improve our facility’s sustainability and provide for our community’s fitness, wellness, and fun in one of the best aquatics facilities in the United States.”
HAC’s $26.3 million expansion and renovation project began in the spring of 2020 and is now mostly complete. The taxpayer-supported project includes an expanded fitness area, indoor walking/running track, warm-water zone, steam room, sauna, spa, and family-friendly Splash Zone.
The new second-floor fitness area features a wellness room, a variety of exercise equipment and an indoor track measuring one-tenth of a mile and overlooking the surrounding community and pools below. The warm-water zone includes a warm-water lap pool, sauna, steam room and large, quadrantal hot tub. The family-friendly Splash Zone consists of a three-story indoor slide, a lazy river area, zero-entry wading pool and another large pool area for aquatic play.
Also completed were HAC’s expanded lobby and universal change area.
The lobby, wellness room and indoor track were all funded by $3 million in gifts made to the HAC Foundation.