Yarra’s Edge Tower 1
Project Overview
Boasting an enviable position in one of Melbourne’s finest waterside locations, the eyecatching Yarra’s Edge Tower 1 was one of the first completed apartment towers to grace the south bank of the Docklands.
The project
Conveniently situated a stone’s throw from Melbourne CBD, Yarra’s Edge Tower 1 is the first of five Mirvac developed towers built specifically for the Docklands precinct.
Designed by HPA Architects, the building is known for its sleek, distinctive silhouette, characterised by its multidimensional aesthetic and a unique skewed gold glass box that rests atop the tower. Holding a strong presence within the Docklands landscape, the building features sweeping curves, one striking golden wall, and another with sharp and straight angles.
Youthful, playful, and elegant, Yarra’s Edge is situated at 50 Lorimer Street, Docklands, offering 175 apartments throughout its 32 floors. Since its launch in 2002, it has gained a reputation as one of the city’s most unique residential developments.
Despite rave reviews, Yarra’s Edge Tower 1 needed to improve its energy efficiency and the reliability of its hot water heating system.
Since its completion in 2002 Yarra’s Edge has received 5 star ratings, however, the building’s internal systems were recently in need of an urgent upgrade. To help get the job done right, the building management team enlisted the expertise of Automatic Heating.
The problem was that the existing atmospheric boilers at Yarra’s Edge Tower 1, first installed at the time of build, were old and inefficient, causing a range of issues. The main concern was that the pilot lights on the boilers often failed, mostly due to windy weather conditions. This caused the need to add additional fencing to the area, and to hire someone to attend the site on a regular basis to reset the equipment, which was costly and inconvenient.
The original atmospheric boilers also ran at only 70% efficiency, whereas the new alternatives provided by Automatic Heating run at 94% efficiency.
How did Automatic Heating help to improve the energy efficiency of Yarra’s Edge Tower 1?
When the building management team at Yarra’s Edge Tower 1 first approached Automatic Heating, they needed to replace the complex’s hot water system, and were looking for opportunities to reduce their gas consumption, and increase the reliability and energy efficiency of their internal systems.
After assessing the issues that the team at Yarra’s Edge were experiencing with their old equipment, Automatic Heating installed a new and improved hybrid system that features high efficiency condensing boilers, a high efficiency heat pump, and twin coil storage tanks.
The project involved the replacement of the boilers that were no longer in efficient working order. Automatic Heating replaced the two atmospheric 500kW boilers used for domestic hot water with five Meridian 150kW condensing boilers, featuring Eco-Cute 15kW High Temperature CO2 Heat Pumps and Plate Heat Exchangers.
The two initial atmospheric 500kW boilers used for heating hot water were also replaced with six Meridian 150kW condensing boilers, to ensure that the new system was running as efficiently, sustainably, and economically as possible.
What are the advantages of the Eco-Cute 15kW High Temperature CO2 Heat Pumps installed at Yarra’s Edge Tower 1?
Eco-Cute 15kW High Temperature CO2 Heat Pumps take advantage of the off peak electricity tariff, which reduces the cost of producing DHW.
The new heat pumps provide hot water for morning use, one of Yarra Edge’s peak load times, and the accompanying Meridian boilers recharge the tanks when needed during the day, ready for the evening, another peak load period.
Inbuilt timers also shut the Meridian domestic hot water off during the night, allowing for even greater economic and sustainable efficiency.