Further Enquiries:

North Terrace Campus
Maintenance Service Centre
Ground Floor, Oliphant Building
The University of Adelaide
SA 5005 Australia

Phone: +61 8 8313 4008
Facsimile: +61 8 8313 4010

Hours 7.45am-5pm Mon-Fri

Environmental Management

Also visit Ecoversity

The University of Adelaide is committed to actively managing energy usage and efficiency. The University is becoming more aware of the cost of energy and its efficient use, in particular electricity and natural gas. An Energy Projects Coordinating Group has been established to oversee energy projects across the University. The group has the following broad targets relating to energy:

Secure reliable electrical energy supply on the best available commercial terms
Increase the University's knowledge about its use of energy including greenhouse gas emissions
Reduce the per capita use of energy
Increase the efficiency with which electrical energy is used
Minimise transmission costs
Ensure regulatory compliance

The University has conducted an Energy Audit of all four campuses and the National Wine Centre. The audit identified a comprehensive range of potential energy saving opportunities with an aggregate potential savings of over $1 million. The audit has been used in identifying and prioritising energy management projects including:

Installation of Electricity Metering Equipment
The University has appointed an independent Meter Provider, enabling us to monitor electricity use at all thirty-six connection points. The University now has the capacity to continuously monitor energy consumption on an almost real-time basis.

Power Factor Correction - download Case Study (pdf 15kB)
Power Factor is a measure of the efficiency of connection to the electricity network. Progressively the University is improving the power factor at a number of its major connection points. So far it has spent $150,000 in power factor improvement projects. The total estimated cost to complete appropriate power factor remediation in 2007 is $150,000.

Control of Room Air-Conditioners - download Case Study (pdf 22kB)
The University has around 850 wall-mounted room air-conditioners on North Terrace Campus. Potentially these could consume 10% or more of the University's total power consumption. This project involves installation of automatic, time-based control over the individual units.The first phase of this project involves control of 100 Room Air-Conditioners in the Hughes and Benham buildings at a cost of around $25,000.

Evolution of Artificial Lighting requirements at the University - download Case Study (pdf 15kB)
More than 200 light fittings were installed with new "T5" fluorescent lamp (high efficiency, low energy) technologies throughout the refurbished areas of the Physics Building in 2004/05.
Motion and time smart controls are provided for Lighting to Napier Building Common Teaching Areas - download Case Study (pdf 13kB)

Building Management System (BMS) Network - download Case Study (pdf 40kB)
Property Services is investing in the integrated North Terrace Campus BMS Network. This will result in the coordinated monitoring and control of major electrical and mechanical services to buildings or clusters of buildings.

HVAC Heat Recovery System - download Case Study (pdf 39kB)
A new heating, ventilation and air condition (HVAC) heat recovery system at the Medical School South, Laboratory Animal Services Facility will help Property Services staff and maintenance Service Providers improve their understanding and control of building HVAC costs and thereby reduce energy consumption.

Water and waste management
A number of initiatives are underway to save water and recycle paper.

For further information or visit adelaide.edu.au/ecoversity/topics