Victoria Hotel HVAC System Upgrade project (Revoked)

The Victoria Hotel HVAC System Upgrade project (ERF103004) is an energy efficiency initiative located at the historic Victoria Hotel in the heart of Melbourne's Central Business District. Situated at 215 Little Collins Street, roughly 200 meters from the Melbourne Town Hall, the project was registered on January 19, 2016. It was designed to reduce emissions within a single commercial building but was subsequently revoked on May 25, 2020.

The project operated under the Carbon Farming Initiative (Commercial Buildings) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology incentivizes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in commercial properties by crediting improvements in energy efficiency. Proponents typically achieve this by upgrading energy-consuming equipment, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and optimizing control systems to lower electricity and gas intensity relative to a historical baseline.

While the specific site is a high-density urban environment, the broader Port Phillip region is characterized by a temperate oceanic climate with moderate rainfall. The natural soil profile of the Melbourne area historically consists of Silurian clays and mudstones, although the project site itself sits upon the highly modified foundations of the CBD. The surrounding land use is exclusively commercial and retail, distinct from the agricultural activities often associated with regional carbon projects.

The proponent, Enman Pty. Ltd., is an engineering firm specializing in energy audits and retrofits. Project activities included the installation of a Building Management Control System (BMS) and the integration of variable speed drives into the HVAC infrastructure. The project was revoked under Section 30 of the CFI Rule, which indicates a voluntary revocation where no Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) had yet been issued. This suggests the proponent may have opted to proceed with the upgrades without claiming carbon credits or found the administrative requirements of the scheme uneconomical for this specific site.