WINNER - 2026 Outstanding Commercial Electrification Project
Congratulations to Monash University for winning the award for Outstanding Commercial Electrification Project in our 2026 Australasian Renewable Heat Awards.
The Awards recognise the innovative work out there which is leading the transition to renewable heat and setting the benchmarks for projects that follow.
Learn more about this winning project below.
Monash University Caufield Campus Buildings A, B, C Precinct Electrification
Industry sector: Higher education
Location: Monash University Caufield Campus, Caufield East VIC
Completed: August 2025
Project partners:
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Monash University
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Norman Disney Young (Lead Services Consultant)
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Neo Construct (Head Contractor)
Project summary
The Monash University Caulfield ABC Electrification project successfully transitioned a major campus precinct from natural gas boilers to a highlyefficient, low-temperature heat pump network. Faced with replacing a 6.5 MW legacy gas boiler plant, the project team recognised that a standard "like-for-like" capacity replacement would exceedthe budget and render the upgrade unfeasible. Instead, the team utilised extensive thermal energy metering and live low-temperature trials to uncover the precinct's true heating demand.
This data-driven approach verified an actual peak heating load of just two megawatts. As a result, Monash installed a right-sized plant comprising fourstandard, single-lift 60°C air-source heat pumps (560 kW each).By installing only the required capacity and proving the reliability of a low-temperature network, the project avoided approximately $2 million in capital expenditure. These savings were strategically reinvested into upgradinglegacy airside equipment to improve overall building performance. Ultimately, this methodology delivers a financially sound, highly scalable blueprint for large-scale institutional decarbonisation.
The heating challenge addressed by the project
Several heating systems were part of the stage including:
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Space heating for university buildings serving standard areas and critical areas (events venue, and 24/7 art gallery with strict temperature and RH requirements);
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Domestic hot water heating for university buildings, student accommodation, and change rooms in sport fields;
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Commercial laundries for student accommodation (washers and dryers);
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Commercial kitchen serving 400,000 meals per year, including induction stoves, electric fryers, electric combi-ovens and electric Bratt pans.
The technologies featured in this project
Technologies replaced:
The massively oversized 6.5 MW natural gasboiler plant (one 3.5 MW and one 3.0 MW unit) operated on an outdated 100% redundancy configuration. It supplied ~140°C to 160°C water to individual buildingheat exchangers, which stepped it down to 80°C for internal distribution.
Technologies implemented:
The new central thermal plant features a modular, air-source heat pump array operating on a highly efficient N+1 redundancy model.
1. Standard Single-Lift Air-Source Heat Pumps
Four identical 560 kW units were installed. To avoid costly substation upgrades, they were electronically governed to a maximum output of 510 kW each, delivering a precise 2.04 MW active capacity. Operating at 60°C yields a significantly higher Coefficient of Performance (COP) than high-temperature alternatives.
2. Advanced Thermal Energy Metering: Extensive metering captured high-resolution flow rates and temperature differentials, establishing the empirical baseline to right-size the plant. This was rigorously verified against a theoretical "block load" calculation accounting for envelope heat losses andintroduced outside air, confirming the metered data's precision.
3. Targeted Airside Infrastructure Upgrades
Capital savings from avoiding an oversized, high-temperature central plant were strategically reinvested into upgrading localised airside infrastructure. Installing AHU pre-heating coils,replacing blocked coils, and fixing faulty valve actuators restored and enhanced the buildings' overall thermal performance.
4. Decoupled Domestic Hot Water (DHW): Localising DHW with dedicated heat pumps eliminated the regulatory requirement to maintain high central plant temperatures for Legionella compliance - a critical enabler for the 60°C network. This decoupling allows the central heating plant to be shut downduring warmer periods, further improving energy efficiency and lowering operational costs.
This initiative redefined how electrification can be delivered in dense, legacy campuses. The project’s core innovation lies in its retrofit-first approach, adapting all-electric technologies to complex existing infrastructure with minimal disruption. This preserved embodied carbon, reduced capital costs, and ensured the continuous function of high-demand facilities such as the campus’s main commercial kitchen (serving 400,000+ meals annually), event venues, and student accommodation facilities. Integrated design strategies included optimising ventilation and energy performance by lowering heating water temperatures and replacing outdated AHUs and FCUs, incorporating redundant hot water systems for critical buildings, and applying a refrigerant hierarchy to prioritise low-GWP alternatives aligned with UNSW’s climate targets.
Results and benefits from this project
The Caulfield ABC Electrification project successfully executed a massive,data-driven reduction in overall plant capacity. The legacy system, which relied on an oversized 6,500 kW gas boiler plant comprising two large units(3,500 kW and 3,000 kW), was entirely replaced. The new, right-sized plant utilises just four 510 kW electric heat pumps, bringing the total system capacity down to a highly efficient 2,040 kW.
This strategic transition to electrified heating delivered substantial environmental and energy savings during the core May–July 2026 winter period compared to 2025. Total site energy use fell by approximately 33%. This efficiency gain was driven by a dramatic 57.7% decrease in gas consumptionacross the three months, plummeting by 6,725 GJ (from 11,663 GJ down to4,938 GJ). Consequently, gas-related CO₂ emissions were slashed by 57.6%,removing approximately 342,909 kg of CO₂ from the precinct's operational footprint.
While overall energy use significantly decreased, the electrification process fundamentally shifted the precinct's electrical demand profile. Total electricity consumption rose by 18.2% (an addition of 283,920 kWh, or roughly 1,022 GJ equivalent) to reach 1,844,519 kWh over the three-month period. This newheating load also increased peak electrical demand by 17.3%, climbing from1,436.51 kVA to a new peak of 1,685.69 kVA recorded in late July. Despite this expected increase in electrical capacity pressure, the rise in electricity usage only fractionally offsets the massive reduction in gas, proving the exceptional efficiency of the right-sized heat pump system.
Special innovations in this project
The Caulfield ABC project breaks away from industry norms through a heavily data-centric, risk-managed approach to engineering design and commissioning.
1. Evidence-Based Right-Sizing
Rather than relying on inaccurate historical gas bills or theoretical models alone, the project utilised direct thermal metering over multiple cold-weather periods, followed by a live low-temperature trial that dropped the network to operate at 60°C heating hot water. By measuring the real-world thermal response and applying a strictsafety uplift, the team verified a true peak load of just under 2 MW - justifying an unprecedented 69% reduction in central plant capacity.
2. Diagnostic BAS Interrogation
During the low-temperature trial, the Building Automation System (BAS) was leveraged as an advanced diagnostic tool.Through the BAS, the team identified that 25% of spaces failed to meet setpoints. An intensive root cause analysis revealed these failures were due toa mix of expected heating coil de-rating and localised mechanical wear (e.g., blocked heating hot water coils, faulty valve actuators, and poor temperature sensor placements), rather than simply a central plant capacity deficit. This innovative use of controls data, combined with evidence-based right-sizing, prevented a $2 million overcapitalisation on high-temperature heat pumps.
3. Transitional Risk Mitigation
To guarantee operational continuity, the single remaining functional legacy gas boiler was not immediately decommissioned and remains on standby for the first full heating season. This provides a low-cost safety net during the heat pump commissioning phase, ensuring occupant comfort is never compromised.
4. Holistic CapEx Reinvestment
By avoiding specialty central equipment and high-voltage electrical upgrades, the project generated a significant capital surplus. This surplus was strategically ring-fenced and reinvested directly into addressing the airside performance faults identified during the BAS interrogation transforming a central plant replacement into a holistic upgrade of the entire building's thermal performance.
Funding received for this project
No federal or state funding.