The William Inglis Hotel, a 144-room boutique hotel in Warwick Farm, NSW, operates 24/7 alongside the Inglis Auction House. Rising energy costs and a commitment to sustainability led General Manager Belinda Thomson and the Inglis board to explore solar energy solutions.
To maximise both financial and environmental benefits, William Inglis Hotel partnered with Smart Commercial Solar for a tailored rooftop solar installation and Northmore Gordon to leverage Large-Scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) for additional returns.
The challenge
- High energy costs from continuous operations.
- Significant electricity demand for air conditioning and lighting.
- Commitment to sustainability without disrupting operations.
The solution
William Inglis Hotel installed a 496 kW rooftop solar system across four stable buildings. Northmore Gordon facilitated project registration under the LGCLarge-scale Generation Certificate under the Australian Renewable Energy Target. More scheme, enabling the hotel to generate and trade renewable energy certificates, further enhancing financial returns.
The outcomes
Since installation, the hotel has achieved:
- 30% reduction in energy consumption, lowering costs
- 450 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided annually
- A strong financial return through LGC revenue
Looking ahead
Encouraged by the project’s success, William Inglis Hotel is considering solar expansion. With Northmore Gordon’s expertise, the hotel will continue optimising its sustainability strategy for long-term cost savings and environmental impact. Belinda Thomson, General Manager, states: “Smart Commercial Solar and Northmore Gordon made this a seamless transition, helping us maximise savings and sustainability benefits.”
Nick Blacklock, Smart Commercial Solar, adds: “This project showcases how solar and environmental
certificates work together to create both immediate and long – term value.”
The benefits
By leveraging the LGC scheme, William Inglis Hotel has reduced its payback time and reinforced its leadership in sustainable hospitality. Northmore Gordon continues to ensure the system delivers maximum value, proving that energy optimisation and environmental certificates go hand in hand.
Northmore Gordon’s services
Northmore Gordon provides expert support to businesses looking to optimise energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and maximise financial returns through environmental certificates.
Our services include:
- Power Station Registration: Managing Clean Energy RegulatorThe Clean Energy Regulator is the Australia Government body responsible for accelerating carbon abatement for Australia through the administration of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme, Renewable Energy Target and the Emissions Reduction Fund. More requirements, including paperwork, methodology development, and technical queries. Registration fees can be deducted from LGC revenue, ensuring no upfront cost
- Environmental Certificate Management: Quarterly data validation, LGC calculation and creation, compliance with regulators, and aggregation/trading of registered LGCs
- Carbon and Renewable Energy Strategy: Measuring carbon footprints (Scope 1, 2, and 3), identifying emissions reduction opportunities, and building tailored decarbonisation roadmaps
- Accreditation and Compliance Support: Assisting with programs like Australian Climate ActiveClimate Active is an accreditation program for Australian companies to certify their organisations, products, services, events, buildings or precincts as carbon neutral. The program is backed and administered by the Australian government. Companies have to measure their scope 1, 2 and material scope 3 emissions, reduce where possible and offset the remainder by purchasing and retiring offsets. Allowed offsets are LGCs for scope 2 and ACCUs, CERs, RMUs, VCUs or VERs for scope 1 or 3 emissions. Annual reporting is required and published on the Climate Active website. More, RE100RE100 is the global corporate renewable energy initiative bringing together large businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. The members must be influential based on their either their brand, global presence, significant energy use or other characteristics that bring attention to their commitment. All companies must commit to purchasing 100% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2050 and purchase that power in the same location they are using it. Interim targets are 60% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. The program is led by the Climate Group in partnership with the CDP. More, Science-Based TargetsThe science based targets initiative (SBTi) is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Targets are considered ‘science-based’ if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement – limiting global warming to well-below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. SBTi has specific sectoral guidance and is working on a Net-Zero standard. Initiative (SBTiScience Based Targets initiative), and CDPCarbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. More
- Carbon Offset Acquisition and Retirement: Helping businesses meet emissions reduction goals through verified carbon and renewable energy offsets
Northmore Gordon partners with businesses to turn sustainability commitments into measurable financial and environmental gains.
For more information about Solar VEECs and LGCs contact: Madonna Ghajar
