Energy Management at ReefHQ

ReefHQ is committed to environmental sustainability in business. As the National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef, one of our key functions is to educate the community regarding threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef, including Climate Change. However, we also take very seriously our responsibility to make energy use minimisation and environmental sustainability the highest priority in our core business activities.

Since 2006 ReefHQ has invested considerable resources into modifying operations and infrastructure to reduce energy consumption. Interestingly, in the first year of our 5 year energy use minimisation plan, we were able to reduce our energy consumption by more than 10%, at no extra cost to the organisation. This was surprising and we feel that many businesses and homes could also enjoy these savings without any extra cost. This was done by applying two key principles:

1. Eliminate - for example, do we really need that pump? do we really need to air-condition the whole building when there are only a couple of staff in the building? Can we change our habits and turn lights and appliances off when not in use?
   
2. Reduce - do we really need the air-conditioner set at 24 degrees Celsius? Do we really need that many lights?

Following the operational changes, we conducted extensive audits of our infrastructure and equipment. We soon discovered that energy consumption was not a key criteria in procurement of equipment and infrastructure in the original design (the Aquarium was opened in 1989) and in the major refurbishments since that time. So a long list of design changes were developed and incorporated into a 5 year plan for energy minimisation. Some of the changes have been complex and difficult to implement, but aside from the key benefits for the environment, in most cases the payback times for changes have been excellent. There have also been many non-financial benefits. To use lighting as an example, we found that new general lighting was more aesthetically pleasing and light globes will last up to 5 times longer.

With regards to the infrastructure and equipment modifications we have focused on 5 key areas:

Airconditioning and chilling Pump and filtration system design Lighting Building insulation and air leaks Building management systems (monitoring and control)
	Photo: Sascha Thyer, ReefHQ Aquarium