Quick Notes

Sector: Education

Contract Type: BMS & EMS

Mech Contractor: CHI003

Location: 269 Ulan Rd, Mudgee NSW 2850

 

The background

Mudgee TAFE NSW is located north of the town centre. It provides education and programs in construction, disability care, community services, hospitality, children’s services and more. The TAFE offers a wide range of certificates for the public. In 2016, Mudgee TAFE wanted to construct a new energy efficient building to increase the TAFE’s teaching facilities. The new building houses computer rooms and labs, teaching, study and common areas, and printing resources.

Challenges

As the new building was designed to be more sustainable to minimise its environmental footprint, incorporating Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA)’s framework was the greatest challenge. Mudgee TAFE had to adhere to the GBCA’s guidelines to ensure the new building achieved a Green Star Rating. The TAFE had to demonstrate the building’s sustainability and endure each round of the thorough certification process. The end goal is to not only reduce the building’s carbon output, but also improve efficiency and reduce operational costs.

Solutions

Alerton provided the BMS for the new building, which allowed the building operators to directly control the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning) system, which can only be activated at the occupant’s request, minimising unnecessary gas and power usage. We installed Energy Recovery Ventilators to improve the efficiency of the HVAC system by preconditioning the outside air using conditioned exhaust air. We installed panels in most of the rooms to alert occupants if the outside weather conditions are suitable for natural ventilation. We used our Optergy Enterprise system interface to give operators visibility of the buildings water and energy consumption, so they can track and regulate usage based on customised reports. The interface allows operators to compare usage trends and options to reduce consumption and improve efficiency. The reports are real-time and feature the weather conditions, consumption data, and sustainable building features to allow managers for productive planning.

Outcome

The building has achieved a 5-Star Green Star energy rating, making it one of the most sustainable buildings in NSW. The building operators can track and regulate energy and water consumption through a centralised and easy to use interface. The seamless integration system we provided means Mudgee TAFE can undertake proactive planning to ensure they’re constantly finding ways to reduce utility costs and remain productive.