Total Utilities helped Forest Lodge save money, gain real-time data visibility, and prove their 100% electric claims to grant providers. All to drive sustainable growth and set an example for food producers around the world.
Why they needed us
Forest Lodge Orchard, a high-density cherry orchard in Cromwell, New Zealand, has gone fully electric with a hybrid solar and battery system tied to the grid. Owner-operator Mike Casey supports the national grid by exporting power at peak times. He also aims to provide an example of how an agricultural site can electrify everything.
Forest Lodge Orchard received a government grant to purchase 2 x 30kW electric frost fighting fans. A condition of the grant was to provide supporting data and reporting to show the source of the electricity powering the fans.
The site’s industrial electrician, Jase Lee, recommended Total Utilities and Centrica’s energy insights for the job. It’s been a great success – PowerRadar now provides new levels of visibility of the solar gains, loads, and the charging and discharging profiles onsite.
Dashboard example of solar curve and battery charging / discharging traces with Centrica Business Solution Pan-10 Wireless Sensor
NZ cherry orchard ripe for clean, optimised energy usage.
“I like to see the solar graph and then overlay the charging loads, and I can make sure that they sit within that solar curve. Sometimes we need to tap the grid for something, but we are just trying to optimise that energy usage as much as possible.”
Real-time energy intelligence delivers savings, shapes decisions, and provides new opportunities for sustainable growth.
Real-time data used to support claims for government grant
The electric frost fighting fans save Forest lodge up to $1,000 per evening compared to diesel-run fans. PowerRadar provides the usage data to substantiate these claims.
Complete oversight over battery charging and discharging
PowerRadar calculates and provides a real-time view of the battery charge and discharge traces. Effectively this was the missing piece for Mike Casey, who now has full visibility of the electrical flow on his site. He can also track how the operation affects the health and longevity of his batteries.
Solar insights inform operational and strategic decisions
By monitoring the real-time solar gain onsite, Forest Lodge can decide when they will perform operations such as irrigation, vehicle work and charging, therefore optimising their energy usage.
Calculating the running costs of their new electric tractor
Forest Lodge received another grant for a state-of-the art fully electric tractor. Energy insights will be used to determine the amount of kW drawn from solar and how much comes from the grid (and when), so the tractor’s operational running costs can be calculated.
Contributing to energy education and climate change advocacy.
Forest Lodge were invited to join EECA’s Gen Less campaign and become part of the climate change solution. The data collected by the energy insights system will play a significant part in the next chapter of their zero emission story.
Pushkar Kulkarni from Total Utilities completed the site review and NABERSNZ Assessment of Watercare House. Here he provides additional commentary to the original published case study, highlighting the specific benefits of a NABERSNZ tenancy rating.
“A NABERSNZ tenancy rating is an ideal tool for tenants as it shows them how their day to day operations impact their energy performance. It can also determine how well they manage energy and identify the opportunities that may exist to improve energy performance.
In an increasingly competitive market place and businesses look for a point of difference by delivering on their corporate and social responsibility, and think about long term business sustainability, tools like NABERSNZ are a good demonstration of their willingness to “walk the talk”. It reflects where they are now with respect to others and what benefits they can get by improving their NABERSNZ rating. I definitely feel that ratings will become increasingly important in New Zealand.
Equipment directly impacting the tenancy rating of Watercare are: lighting, computers, and client specific plug load etc. They are limited to what they can do with the lighting connections and zoning due to way in which these were originally designed. This has had an impact on the rating. If a NABERSNZ rating was a factor that developers and contractors were informed of during the design/build stage, then there is good chance that the lighting connections and zoning may have been designed differently.
In my opinion the occupancy density, clever use of all areas, and using lighting controls are the main factors that have resulted in a 4-Star NABERSNZ tenancy rating for Watercare. The rating demonstrates it’s a very good start and platform for Watercare to understand where they are at compared to the wider market and examine strategies on how they can improve going forward.”
Scoring a first-rate NABERSNZ 4-star tenancy rating for energy consumption at its office demonstrates an Auckland company’s commitment to the environment.
Auckland water provider Watercare Services Limited is the anchor tenant in an eight-level office block constructed in bustling Newmarket in 2013.
73 Remuera Road is the first Green Star rated commercial property in the district and reflects the growing demand from corporate tenants for green principled, energy smart work spaces.
Watercare occupies three of five office floors in the building.
Key Facts
4-star ‘excellent’ NABERSNZ tenancy rating
Energy use certified as 97.6 kWh/year/m2
NABERSNZ to be used at other sites
Further energy upgrades continue
Big Numbers
2013 – achieves a 5 Green Star Design rating
2015 – achieves a 5 Green Star Built rating
2016 – achieves a 4 star NABERSNZ tenancy rating
Energy use certified as 97.6 kWh/year/m2
Total energy consumption 738,454 kWh/ year
Building Profile
Location: 73 Remuera Road, Newmarket, Auckland
Owner: Viewmount Orchards Limited
Anchor Tenant: Watercare Services Limited (approximately 300 employees on site on an ordinary day)
Accolades:
5 Green Star Design (Achieved 2013)
5 Green Star Built (Achieved 2015)
NZ Property Council Award – Commercial Office Property Best in Category Award 2015
NZ Property Council Award – Green Building Property Merit Award 2015
The Anchor Tenant
Watercare is an Auckland Council owned organisation (CCO) providing water and wastewater services to Auckland and its environs. It is committed to the sustainable management of natural resources and energy saving operations. The Auckland Council has two additional NABERSNZ rated premises – the Manukau Civic Building (3 star whole building, 2014) and Orewa Service Centre (3.5 star whole building 2016).
FM Concepts Limited is an Auckland-based commercial property management firm which focuses on medium to large high rise buildings and offers a full range of services including onsite operational management, property consultancy, contract management, health and safety systems and cost management. It has a strong interest in the sustainability of the built environment and energy efficiency. Two commercial buildings in its portfolio are currently undergoing NABERSNZ ratings.
Located within easy walking distance of train and bus networks – encourages sustainable transport options for occupants
High-tech building controls and management system with real time monitoring
Energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC).
Double glazed façade
LED lighting
Well-designed waste collection and recycling area
End of trip facilities – gym, cycle park and locker facilities
This property is a brownfield redevelopment – its construction has improved an existing dilapidated area and makes a positive contribution to a sustainable Auckland.
Why NABERSNZ?
With water being its core business Watercare has the environment and energy issues at the top of its agenda.
While its head office is housed in Green Star rated Watercare House the company’s sustainability manager Roseline Klein says the company wanted to understand its everyday energy performance across the three floors it occupies in the building.
It was the missing ingredient.
We wanted to know where we were at with our energy performance, how well we were doing and where we could improve. We’d heard about NABERSNZ so we did some research online. It’s a great tool, it provides a benchmark and it drives best practice.”
– Watercare Services Limited Sustainability Manager Roseline Klein
NABERSNZ in Action
Watercare Services Limited sustainability manager Roseline Klein says undertaking a NABERSNZ rating over its 7563 square metres of office space has proved to be “a painless process”.
The meterage required for a rating was already in place – 18 meters had been installed in the building during the construction period to aid fine-tuning of systems and utilities.
The company took advantage of the free NABERSNZ feasibility assessment which determines a building’s readiness to get started with a rating.
“It made a big difference for us and took away the humdrum business of counting 644 computers and documenting the configuration of staff plus it set a timetable, provided a checklist and saved us time,” says Roseline.
NABERSNZ assessor Pushkar Kulkarni from Total Utilities says lighting, computers and occupant specific plug load have the biggest impact on a tenancy rating.
He says clever configuration of work spaces, occupancy density and sensory lighting controls have resulted in Watercare’s superb 4 star result.
The Value of NABERSNZ
Watercare says it wants to model water and energy efficiency and its 4-star NABERSNZ tenancy rating shows its credentials.
Sustainability manager Roseline Klein says the rating has been “a great experience” and has pushed the company to look hard at its resources and ensure they are better used.
“It’s spearheaded change. For example we’re now trying to ensure our procurement process is not always about cost but energy efficiency too. We’ve recently retrofitted our gym with water efficient shower heads which use nine litres per minute compared with 12 – they offer a better shower experience and use less water and energy,” she says.
Roseline believes if a NABERSNZ rating was compulsory it would encourage energy awareness and help tackle climate change.
“For example Aucklanders are the lowest users of water because it is charged volumetrically so whether you are sustainably-minded or not your invoice reminds you not to waste, to think of water efficiency. A mandatory energy performance rating would have the same effect for landlords and tenants.”
In Australia a NABERS rating is compulsory for commercial offices over 1,000 square metres while a range of mandatory energy performance ratings exist in Europe.
NABERSNZ assessor Pushkar Kulkarni says as Kiwi businesses increasingly look to deliver on corporate and social responsibility and think about long-term business sustainability a NABERSNZ rating demonstrates a willingness to ‘walk the talk’.
“The NABERSNZ tool is set to become increasingly important in New Zealand.”
A NABERSNZ rating demonstrates a willingness to ‘walk the talk’
– NABERSNZ Assessor Pushkar Kulkarni
Key Sustainable Features