The Riverina Highlands Building Energy Efficiency Project (RHBEEP) has set energy-efficiency benchmarks.
The aim of the project was to transform the inefficient building into an energy-efficient showpiece by reducing energy consumption as well as educating the community on energy efficiency. Winning multiple awards, the project has been a huge success.
Integral to this success was the installation of a geoexchange system, replacing the building’s aging, air-cooled central chiller and electric duct heaters.
GeoExchange Australia was involved in retrofitting of the geoexchange system – performing feasibility, testing, design, supply of Ground Source Heat Pumps and commissioning.
In the recent edition of EcoLibrium journal, our Managing Director Yale Carden discusses the retrofit in detail as well as stating the following factors that have helped make the project a success:
-
Team First
The project team was the key to the success of this project. The council had a very impressive alignment of the project, from the General Manager to the Head of Finance, to the Project Manager and Environmental Officers.
-
Importance of independents
The importance of independent advisers such as CDE Energy, in both suggesting a solution such as geoexchange as well as verifying our advice, provided the Tumut Shire Council with confidence in their decisions.
-
Inform the client
It was important also that the client understood the process, did their due diligence, trusted advice, and had the courage to act.
-
Open processes
From our perspective, it was important to be open in our processes and what was required to provide the client with the best possible system. This cut across all aspects, from design to project management to procurement.
For in-depth write-up on the geoexchange retrofit of the Riverina Highlands Building, click here for the feature by Sean McGowan in EcoLibrium magazine.