At Perth City Farm our purpose is to bring people together to learn about sustainable living, so ideally our classroom- our whole site- is a shining example of sustainability in practice. We’ve already got lots of great things to show here but always look to improve, which is why an upcoming project is the development of an organisational sustainability plan.
This year we received a generous offer from Hesperia to fund an Energy Audit and we jumped at the chance to get baseline energy use data and some quick win recommendations to feed into the Sustainability Plan project. Hesperia is a West Australian place development company who create and manage sustainable projects, who we originally connected with in regards to food gardens at their Victoria House project. They have a big focus on sustainability and offered to fund an energy audit for us as part of their community support work. Legends!
The audit happened in July 2024 and examined the energy sources we utilise to comment on where energy is being consumed, and how consumption could be reduced. The audit was completed by HFM Asset Management.
We are all about sharing knowledge so here is a brief summary of what we’ve learnt and what we intend to change as a result.
What we learnt
We now have a very comprehensive report to digest and take action on. Some of the key learnings for us so far are:
- Refrigeration is our HUGE energy user
Keeping food and drinks cool is by far the most power hungry task at Perth City Farm. The audit revealed that refrigeration accounts for approximately 56% of electricity consumption. The site features a containerised cool room for storing fresh produce, a café cool room, 11 fridges, and 3 freezers, with most operating 24/7. Some fridges are underutilised, being used only occasionally during events e.g once or twice a week.
- We’re not using much energy to keep humans cool!
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning) accounts for 15% of the annual consumption. This percentage is below average compared to similar premises, as no spaces are air-conditioned. However, there is room for improvement in reducing energy consumption. The warehouse-style buildings lack ceilings, resulting in poor insulation. Staff working in the office report struggling to maintain satisfactory indoor temperatures, necessitating the use of inefficient appliances like radiant heaters in winter. The lack of appropriate insulation leads to increased energy consumption to maintain comfortable working conditions.
- We REALLY need a new solar system
LED lighting installed in early 2024
Earlier this year we disconnected our 14-year-old solar PV system as we had to remove it to fix roof leaks, and because it was barely producing any energy due to its age. This is a big missed opportunity.
- We need to get a smart meter
Smart meters haven’t rolled out in our area year and that meant the audit couldn’t analyse our power use throughout each hour of the day. This data will be really important for us when choosing a new solar and battery system, so we can see the use between day time (café and office use) and evenings (private events like weddings and parties). This will determine the size of battery we need.
What we’ll change
The audit made some clear recommendations with probable costings, savings in terms of emissions and energy costs, and payback time in years. A summary is in the table below.
| DESCRIPTION | OPINION OF PROBABLE COST ($) | ANNUAL SAVINGS
(KWH) |
ANNUAL SAVINGS
($) |
EMISSION ABATEMENT
(KG CO2-E) |
SIMPLE PAYBACK
(YEARS) |
|||
| Improve refrigeration efficiency | $2,400 | 4,228 | $1,039 | 2,241 | 2.3 | |||
| LED Lighting Upgrades | $3,079 | 1,567 | $385 | 831 | 8.0 | |||
| Solar PV System Replacement (30 kW) | $39,000 | 20,074 | $4,932 | 10,639 | 7.9 | |||
| Installing a rainwater sensor for the reticulation system | $1,600 | 250 | $132 | 132 | 12.1 | |||
| Power distribution boards, utility meters and sub-metering upgrades | $39,000 | Operational Benefit | ||||||
| Monthly Performance Monitoring of Energy End Users | $4,231 | 2,509 | $616 | 1,330 | 6.9 | |||
| Office HVAC improvements | $5,400 | 1,516 | $804 | 804 | 6.7 | |||
| TOTALS | $94,710 | 30,144 KwH |
$7,908
|
15,976 kg Co2-E | 12 years | |||
In considering the recommendations our goals are to:
- Make refrigeration improvements.
It is recommended we remove or disconnect fridges where possible. We can’t remove any of the fridges but disconnecting them when not in use conflicts with advice from our refrigeration technicians. They have told us that we will shorten their usable lives by turning them on and off frequently, which is not very sustainable either. So a bit more research is needed to make a decision there.
We will definitely replace some damaged seals and make sure our staff are using the cool rooms well.
- Get a new solar and battery system
This is a no-brainer in theory as we’ve found a great organisation named Corena who provide interest free loans to non-profits like us for these kind of projects. We just need to make time to get quotes, apply for the loan and initiate the works as soon as we’re approved. We have had trouble getting quotes before though- a few companies have had a look but not followed through with a quote, so if you know of a great installer please reach out.
- Office HVAC improvements
HEATING: We need to move our bar heaters on- they are really inefficient but just showed up so cold staff members started using them! We will acquire heated throws instead as they are much more efficient.
COOLING: We really need to get more cooling in our office – the lack of air con means we are avoiding power use but hot and uncomfortable staff and volunteers is hurting our efficiency and isn’t good for retention. It’s a false economy. Unfortunately it isn’t easy to improve- our building is a heritage listed warehouse with big metal doors and windows that don’t seal. We need to add a ceiling with insulation and retrofit inner windows, then get permission to knock a hole in the wall for a reverse cycle unit. It’s all out of our price range unfortunately, until we can pull together a bigger site redevelopment project.
- Call Synergy and request a smart meter.
We have tried a couple of times so far but have given up after being on hold for a very long time!
Help us do it
City Farm is a community organization and it has always been our community that helped us get things done. Can you help us to reduce our energy use and maximise our potential as a demonstration of sustainable living? Some ways you could help include:
- Recommend a great solar and battery installer to give us a quote
- Share your refrigeration knowledge if you happen to know how to navigate the conundrum of regularly turning fridges on and off vs the damage this does to the units
- Make a donation to support us in making these changes- either cash or equipment if you happen to have some surplus heated throws!