Oaks Sydney Goldsbrough Suites has pioneered a new standard in sustainability in the City of Sydney, becoming the largest solar powered residential building in Sydney, and one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The project has seen the installation of a 175 kilowatt rooftop solar system on Oaks Sydney Goldsborough Suites, which will reduce the building’s energy needs by 23-25% per annum and save a total 240 tonnes/annum.
‘Our goal was for Oaks Sydney Goldsbrough Suites to become a beacon of sustainability and encourage our counterparts to also re-consider their energy solutions. Now is the time for us all to do our part and urgently take action to reduce carbon emissions in Australia.’ Commented Craig Hooley, Chief Operating Officer for Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites.
‘Working towards a sustainable future is a key consideration in all that we do across our portfolio of over 60 properties across Australia and New Zealand, and we are proud to be leading the way in the provision of sustainable tourism in Australia.’
The project was part of City of Sydney’s Smart Green Apartments program, which works with key sectors to help make buildings more energy and water efficient and reduce carbon emissions and water use in the city.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore commented, ‘The City of Sydney has long been a leader in tackling the Climate Crisis. We were the first local government in Australia to become carbon neutral in 2007 and we use 100% renewable electricity for our own operations.
The city has installed more than 2 megawatts (2,000 kilowatts) of solar to its own buildings, one of the largest building-based installations in Australia.
Overwhelming climate research tells us we cannot afford to take our time reducing carbon emissions in Australia – emissions need to plummet now.
The installation of the 175 kilowatt rooftop solar system on the Oaks Sydney Goldsborough Suites is one of the largest on a residential building in the Southern Hemisphere and will prevent more than 240 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere every year. That’s the equivalent of taking 66 cars off the road each year, and we are proud to have helped them achieve this with our Smart Green Apartments program.
The program has helped more than 170 high-rise apartment buildings become more energy and water efficient and is collectively saving participating owners corporations $3.49 million each year in utility bills.’
Sustainability has been a focus for Oaks Sydney Goldsbrough Suites for many years, with the building having a National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) energy rating of 5.5 stars (excellent) and water rating of 4 stars (good).
In its commitment to lowering their carbon footprint, the building’s energy conservation program also includes light harvesting whereby 50% common area lights are turned off during the non-busy times of the day including the night, and the pool & spa are heated using the recoverable heat from the return hot water loop via heat exchanges. The building also runs a successful recycling program and water conservation program, via the use of water saving shower heads and tap flow restrictors.
