Federation Square

Since opening in 2002, Federation Square has become one of the most visited attractions in Melbourne with over 8 million visitors per year. Federation Square is home to the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection of Australian art with 20 galleries across three levels, SBS Australia’s national multicultural and multilingual public broadcaster and the Melbourne Visitor Centre, plus a range of restaurants, cafes and bars.

City of Melbourne Council proposed to use the gas from a biogas generator to produce heat which was then fed back into the site’s heating systems and also to reduce the greenhouse effect of the biogas itself.

When biological waste decays it emits methane which is the flammable gas we’ve all heard of. It’s also a greenhouse gas so when it escapes into the atmosphere it contributes to climate change. Imagine a system that collects this byproduct of human civilisation and not only prevents it from acting as a greenhouse gas but puts it to good use? This is the principle of biogas, natural mains gas usage is off-set to attacking the problem from both ends.

Automatic Heating was commissioned with supplying the biogas boiler for the Federation Square project and thereby assisting it gaining Zero-carbon status. Organic waste from the restaurants and rooftop gardens is collected and put into the biogas generator. The biogas is then collected and fed through our Enterprise Natural Gas Burners which then in turn powers the XRE Cast Iron Sectional Hot Water Heaters and the heat is then redistributed around the facility and returned, in part, to the restaurants where the cycle continues.