Emperors Palace goes even greener
In the hospitality industry, going green and embracing sustainability are vital for environmental preservation, resource conservation and long-term economic viability. It has become a corporate responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to global efforts in combating climate change, ensuring a healthier planet for current and future generations.
Peermont’s flagship brand, Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, has been at the forefront in recent years, putting environmental practices in place to diminish their impact on the environment as well as to assist with taking strain off local municipalities. The latest project was the ambitious construction of a water reservoir on complex, complete with 13 boreholes.
“The reservoir is a state-of-the-art structure that looks like a big money vault, but it contains something a lot more precious,” says Peermont maintenance manager Jannie Roos, who has spearheaded the project since 2023. “Emperors Palace can utilise up to 800 000 litres of water a day, which is equivalent to about 5 300 bathtubs being filled up. However, with the implementation of our onsite boreholes and a water reservoir, we’ll have a storage capacity of 2.9 million litres.”
The project not only prioritises water conservation and management, but alleviates pressure on ailing municipal infrastructure in the Ekurhuleni area. In addition, there is a fire reservoir of 600 000 litres in the event of a fire, which further unburdens local water resources.
Energy efficiency: Illuminating the way forward
With the prevalent sunshine of Gauteng, The Palace of Dreams boasts an impressive array of 13 000 solar panels that generate over 3 424kWh, which is enough to power 180 houses. This solar initiative aligns with future plans to add an additional 2MW in solar production, further solidifying Emperors Palace’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions. Electricity meters have been strategically installed, providing the ability to monitor and manage energy consumption across the resort effectively.
Part of Emperors Palace’s pledge to energy efficiency has seen the resort transition all lights to energy-saving LEDs, minimising energy consumption. This includes the fluorescent lighting to the back-of-house and office areas that were not only a drain on electricity but required specialised services for the removal and disposal of the hazardous tubes.
Recycling: Wasting no time
Emperors Palace takes pride in its waste reduction and recycling efforts – having invested in this for over a decade. The resort recycles hundreds of square metres of waste annually, diverting substantial amounts from landfills. With a recycling programme currently achieving a 60% waste diversion rate, Emperors Palace is making significant strides in reducing CO2 emissions, water and energy consumption.
“One of our integral waste reduction initiative is our organic composter,” says Peermont hospitality executive Dave Milne, of the industrial waste machine that converts all organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. “The composter is integral to us, since we have over 16 restaurants on complex as well as three hotels, and being able to dispose of organic waste on the property further contributes to environmental sustainability and not ending up in municipal landfills.”
2023 in numbers
In 2023, Emperors Palace made noteworthy strides in sustainability, doing its part to conserve energy. “Last year we managed to reduce our carbon footprint quite significantly,” says Milne, sharing the numbers from the various green initiatives:
- 2 033 958kWh in energy were conserved
- 1 593 trees were saved
- 2 448 908 litres of water were saved
- 279 856m² in CO2 emissions were reduced
These accomplishments underscore the success of Emperors Palace’s green initiatives and its dedication to making a positive environmental impact. “This is just the beginning, and in years to come we aim to be fully self-sufficient,” says Milne of Emperors Palace’s pledge to keep at the forefront of green technology with electricity generation, LED lighting, heat pumps, power factor correction, metering and more efficient chiller technology.
