The Galleria hosts 64 apartments over 6 levels. Michael Whitby, the strata committee treasurer, was keen to reduce both the building’s operating costs and its environmental impact.
We awarded the Galleria a green building grant to rate the building’s performance and get an energy action plan.
What they did
- Lighting upgrade
- Integrated a small heat pump with the new gas hot water system
- Installed a 22kW solar system
- Installed 2 13kW batteries to store the excess generated power – the first apartment building in the City of Sydney’s area to do so.
The resulting energy cost savings means strata fees have not risen.
Involving residents
- Realtime electricity monitoring data is shared with residents through the Galleria’s social media pages
- Residents are educated on ways to lower their energy bills by following the building’s energy action plan
- The Galleria ran resident surveys to start building a community invested in sustainability issues
The Galleria’s staged approach to future-proofing the building includes plans to install EV charging points as part of a 10-year building plan.
The Galleria also plans to get a second NABERS rating, following the decommissioning of its cooling tower. It’s expected it will receive a better star rating, reflecting the ongoing upgrades in the building.