Abstract: RMIT - Innovation Award

Provide an abstract of no more than 250 words, summarising the key aspects of your submission for the TEFMA Innovation Award

The Sustainable Urban Precincts Program (SUPP) represents a $128M commitment by RMIT to reduce emissions associated with University operations whilst also delivering a step-change in asset management practices and end user experience.

The SUPP was delivered across RMIT’s three Melbourne campuses by two Energy Services Companies (ESCOs), Siemens and Honeywell, over a construction period of 3 years. The SUPP commenced in 2007 and originated from the Victorian Government’s Greener Government Building program.

The SUPP is unique and innovative, being one of the first and by far the largest Energy Performance Contract’s in the country. This contracting model had not been utilised for delivery of works of this nature locally and the success of the SUPP has proven this to be a viable option for the sector moving forward in the delivery of projects looking to make material cuts to emissions and achieve real energy savings.

The SUPP is a replicable delivery model for other institutions and the delivery model is also readily scalable to accommodate projects of various size and complexity as may exist throughout portfolios of different ages and with varying operational requirements.

The SUPP was delivered without compromise to services delivery and in most cases was able to save energy whilst improving the user experience. In terms of savings, RMIT are on track to realise emissions savings of 39% (against a 2007 baseline) which will be measured and verified on an ongoing basis to provide certainty regarding the return on investment.