Crown Resorts is Australia’s premier entertainment and integrated resort operator and welcomes more than 30 million guests each year to iconic locations in Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth. Crown is deeply committed to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving peak energy efficiency across its high-end facilities.
The Engineering Picture — Three Resorts
Crown Melbourne
42 MW chilled water capacity
28 MW heating hot water capacity
510,000 m² gross internal floor area
Crown Perth
24 MW chilled water capacity
14 MW heating hot water capacity
300,000 m2 gross internal floor area
Crown Sydney
75 floors – Sydney’s tallest building
271.3 m tower height above Barangaroo
No. 4 tallest building in Australia
The Challenge: Solving the “Low Delta T” Problem
Low Delta T (the temperature difference between supply and return water) is a common inefficiency in large-scale HVAC systems. Crown Resorts identified significant energy losses due to Low Delta T in both Chilled and Hot Water Systems across their major facilities located in Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth. They needed a precise, flexible solution that could be implemented without disrupting the guest comfort and experience in their luxury hotels.
The Solution: Crane Fluid Systems – Smart Actuators
Crown partnered with Crane Fluid Systems to deploy a custom riser-level control strategy. Leveraging the ACTCS1 Smart Actuators paired with D997F (E-PICV+) valves, targeting Melbourne facilities as a first stage; the team tailored the flow rates for both heating and cooling across three major hotels:
Smart Riser Coverage
- Towers Hotel: 35 floors
- Metropol Hotel: 26 floors
- Promenade Hotel: 21 floors
The project delivered a coordinated, multi-site HVAC upgrade that significantly improved energy efficiency across Crown Resorts’ Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth facilities. By installing and optimising E-PICV’s and Energy Valves within the hydronic network, the M&E contractor, AE Smith enabled precise, real-time control of chilled water flow, reducing energy waste while enhancing system performance and visibility.
Despite the complexity of working in live, high-occupancy environments, the rollout was completed with minimal disruption through careful staging and stakeholder coordination, ensuring continuous operations. The result was a more responsive, reliable, and energy-efficient system that supports Crown’s long-term sustainability objectives.
The Results: Record-Breaking Efficiency
The impact of the Crane FS Smart Actuator technology was immediate and exceeded all performance expectations.
Carl Backhouse, Executive General Manager MEP Engineering at Crown Resorts, said:
“We set out to achieve two outcomes that don’t typically go hand in hand: meaningful carbon reduction and an unchanged guest experience. This project delivered both.”
- 25% Energy Savings: Realised in just three months at the Melbourne site.
- Significant Carbon Reduction: Saved 8550 tCO2, a year equivalent to 1850 cars taken off the road – a key step toward long-term decarbonisation.
- Rapid ROI: The efficiency gains surpassed initial forecasts in record time, proving that sustainability and high-end hospitality can go together.
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