Energy Conscious Design designed and PL Gas and Solar and EcoSolar installed the solar water heating system to provide hot water to the male and female showers in the swimming pool. 10 x 2.8m2 EcoSolar HE collectors were installed to heat 900 litres of hot water storage. The systems were controlled by EcoSolar UVR61 controllers and EcoSolar D Loggs to provide extensive data logging.

A feasibility study was conducted in mid-2007 on the South Waikato Tokoroa Leisure Centre to determine the value of installing a solar water heating system for the pools' showers. The study revealed that the showers currently use 620,500 litres of hot water each year, which requires 34,000 kilowatt hours per annum to heat. The study led to the installation of a solar hot water heating system at the Tokoroa indoor pool, which consisted of 24m2 of EcoSolar collectors. The system acts as a pre-heater to the existing hot water system with the solar panels using the sun's energy to pre-heat water. An estimated 18,400 kilowatt hours of solar energy is anticipated to be collected per annum. The study predicted good savings by shifting to renewable energy sources. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) contributed $13,500 toward the cost of the estimated $25,425-system through its Grants for Public Buildings finance scheme. With the monetary savings achieved it will take approximately 6.5 years to pay off the total cost of the system while subsequently using less than half the amount of finite energy resources. But South Waikato didn't stop there. Another project was already in the channels and early in 2009 Mayor Neil Sinclair announced a solar pilot project "to investigate the feasibility of mass adoption of solar technology in homes". Supported by Energy Conscious Design and EcoSolar, PL Gas and Solar and South Waikato District Council, Energy Options is offering installation of solar heating to householders at a cost of $3400 with finance available.

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