Wade Park home to Orange's first battery as changerooms in line for overhaul

But the historic changerooms underneath the Wade Park grandstands, home to Orange CYMS and Orange Hawks rugby league sides on Sundays in winter for decades, are due for an upgrade.

Work has begun on major works on the lower levels of the ground's grandstand.

The former canteen and change rooms have been completely gutted, Orange City Council has confirmed.

Work to include new toilets, showers, change rooms has begun, with preliminary work, including the installation of new plumbing, underway at the beginning of December.

The upgrade also includes new storage facilities at the venue, new referees change rooms and more female change rooms, too.

The work is part of the continued major upgrades of Wade Park, a venue widely regarded as the premier oval-shaped sporting precinct west of the mountains.

The NSW Breakers women's cricket team will play two WNCL games at Wade Park in February.

Part of the new works, contractors have installed solar panels at Wade Park in a bid to make the venue council's first energy-neutral sports facility.

Orange City Council Sport and Recreation Committee chair Cr Tammy Greenhalgh is delighted the new solar array, installed on the roof of the multi-million dollar cricket centre, will be another step towards a more sustainable energy future.

"Every dollar we can save on Wade Park 's running costs means better value for ratepayers," she said.

A new battery storage system and more energy-efficient LED field lighting will also add to the site's improved energy status.

Orange City Council Environmental Sustainability Committee chair Cr David Mallard says the new battery is the council's first.

"The $888,000 grant from the Regional Sport Facility Fund announced earlier this year will make all the difference," Cr Mallard said.

"The biggest potential use of electricity at Wade Park is running the field lights for night games. That made the addition of a battery, Orange City Council's first, the obvious solution."

The 40kW solar panel installation is the first stage of the development. The Park will become 100 per cent energy self-sufficient once LED field lighting is installed in the new year, along with the new 30kW/60kWh battery.

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