Introduction

While the guests only see and experience the tropical delight and grandeur of the Great Barrier Reef’s eco-friendly award winning Club Med Lindeman Island resort, it was a different story for the resorts engineering and managerial staff.

Naturally guests after a day lazing by azure pools, exploring rainforests or snorkeling one of the most spectacular parts of the Great Barrier Reef, would expect to enjoy a hot shower before dining at the islands superb restaurants. However to the resorts management, the supply and provision of hot water had four distinct problems.

The Problems

1. Due to high mineral content of the water on the island, traditional hot water heaters were being corroded out in a period as short as two years.

2. As part of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem, the resort had to look to hot water systems that had a positive effect on the environment.  Their aim was to reduce the total amount of energy required thus lowering the resorts carbon footprint.  Additionally the resort had mandated a minimum 10% reduction in electricity costs as associated with any new capital equipment purchase.

3. Any solution had to be cost effective and return a payback ROI of under two years.

4. The solution had to cater for different size accommodation quarters and hence different hot water demands.

The Solution

Quantum Energy was contacted and a study was requested. Quantum proposed a solution comprising installation of 58 of Quantum’s award winning energy saving hot water heat pumps. 

Quantum hot water heat pumps feature Australian developed proprietary technology which make their usage ideal in locations where corrosion due to water quality and or environmental conditions are detrimental to traditional hot water units. 

Quantum’s proprietary TankWrapTM technology means that the heating coils are not in direct contact with the water to be heated, which gives two advantages;

a. Reduction in scaling (mineral salt deposition) of coils and hence heating efficiency, which would otherwise be compromised with other units, is maintained.

b. Reduction in corrosion of coils and tank, hence offering longer life.

The Results

Quantum hot water heat pumps effectively replace electric and gas standard units. They come in different sizes ranging from 150 litre through to 1,020 litre storage. As such, they can be sized to different demands and thus offered Club Med Lindeman Island a tailored solution. 

Due to Quantum’s TankWrapTM technology and specific features like corrosion protected heat exchangers, a long life time can be expected from the units.  In the case of Club Med the following savings were achieved:

• Over 500,000 kWh of electricity saved every year.
• Over 140,000 litres of dieselsaved every year.
• Over 155 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions saved every year.
• A pay back of under two years.

The Conclusion

Quantum Energy’s award winning patented hot water heat pumps offer distinct features and benefits which make them ideal for use on resorts and other installations where the surrounding environment is detrimental to traditional units. 

The superior “payback” of a Quantum compared to standard gas or electric units can easily be calculated and is generally in the range of two years, which makes it a prudent financial investment. 

Reduction of energy costs and associated reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, whilst delivering a true life cycle energy analysis cost below that of traditional units, makes the Quantum Energy hot water heat pumps an ideal choice.