THA Energy Audit Pilot Program
With grant funds provided by the Tasmanian Government, and financial contributions made by the participating venues, the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) has now completed its Energy Audit Pilot Program (EAPP). The purpose of the EAPP was to demonstrate the benefits and costs savings that can be achieved by Tasmania’s hospitality venues, by better understanding their energy usage and inefficiencies, as well as the contribution the industry can make to reducing the state’s overall energy consumption. Ten (10) venues around Tasmania participated in the EAPP, including accommodation hotels, restaurants and pubs to provide a cross section of venue types, each with differing operational and energy needs.
While there are many commercial advisory and accounting services available in relation to energy use and consumption, as well carbon footprint modelling tools, the EAPP was developed as a technical and engineering assessment tool. This was important to enable venue owners to make operational decisions about their equipment and appliances, and their buildings, that can lead to significant reduction in their energy consumption, and the associated costs. Each participating venue will receive their own individual energy audit report. While the participating venues had each already achieved much by their own efforts to reduce their energy consumption, the energy audits were still of value as they identified even more that the venues could do, to achieve further substantial savings. The THA was also provided with an overall summary report on the EAPP which identified a range of areas where venues across Tasmania can achieve significant reductions in the energy consumption, and reduce the costs to their businesses. With the ever-increasing costs of electricity and gas, and as a major cost to all hospitality venues, the THA encourages venue owners to consider conducting energy audits of their venues and operations. Significant savings can be made. It is a matter for venue owners to engage their own expertise in the operation of their businesses, and the THA does not recommend any specific service provider. However, the introductory energy audit service conducted by GHD as part of the EAPP did provide valuable insights for the participating venue owners, at an affordable price.
ABOVE: LED LIGHTING AT A HOSPITALITY VENUE
The energy audits were purposefully developed as an introductory service only, one that would provide venue owners some clear insights into how they can reduce their energy consumption, at the same time as being a reasonably affordable service. The ultimate objective was to determine if a commercial energy auditing service could be developed, that venues around the state could access without incurring significant costs. Of course, when making significant investment decisions, especially in relation to the larger sized venues with significant equipment and appliance needs, a more substantial engineering assessment may well be needed.
BELOW: SOLAR PANELS
The THA engaged the international engineering consulting firm GHD, to develop and deliver the EAPP.
Enquiries? Contact Mark Banovic E: mark@tha.asn.au
25 Tasmanian Hospitality Review June/July Edition
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