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The Mt Nancy Motel was purchased by new owners in early 2009. The facility had been partly vacant for some time and was in need of refurbishment.
The owners approached Alice Solar City early in their redevelopment process, with a general goal of achieving a high level of environmental performance. Director of the Mt Nancy Motel Robert Gwynne, who has also built 7 star properties in South Australia, says that he was keen to show Territorian businesses what can be achieved through property redevelopment.
An inspection of the Motel by Alice Solar City identified a number of opportunities to improve energy efficiency. As the facility was vacant and with a major refurbishment about to commence, it was an ideal time to incorporate a range of improvements.
The motel included 28 rooms across five buildings and a swimming pool. A baseline energy consumption of 139,000 kWh of electricity and 5,700 Litres of LPG per annum was established. The gas is used predominantly for water heating. Of the electricity consumption, air conditioning and heating was estimated to comprise 55%, refrigeration 20%, and lighting and other appliances making up the remainder.
A number of recommendations were included in the Alice Solar City energy survey report, and action was taken on all energy recommendations. The recommendations and resultant actions were:
Install photovoltaic power system
A 12kW BP Solar system was installed on a North East facing roof. A highly visible symbol of the energy efficiency initiatives, the system is expected to produce 19,000 kWh per annum which represents just over 7% of the baseline energy consumption, and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13 tonnes per annum.
Install solar hot water systems
A combination of gas-boosted split system solar hot water and commercial heat pump hot water systems were identified as the preferred approach to improving water heating energy efficiency. The systems are expected to reduce gas consumption by 85%, saving over $7,000 per annum. The heat pump systems will result in an increase in electricity consumption, but a net reduction in costs and greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous system.
Install bulk insulation in walls
Insulation was retrofitted to the walls as part of recladding all buildings
Repair and improve ceiling insulation to R3.0 or better
All-new bulk insulation was fitted to the buildings
Paint roofing white
All buildings had their roofs painted white
Install pelmets on curtains
Curtains were selected as the preferred window dressings, and pelmets were included in the installation
Install door and window seals
All doors had seals fitted as part of the project
Install smart meters and in-room displays
Alice Solar City offered to supply smart meters and in-room displays to investigate the impact on motel guest behaviour this would have.
