Sun City Resort Slashes Energy Use with Solahart Heat Pump Hot Water Solution

Detailed Case Study

Client: Sun International – Sun City Resort
Location: North West Province, South Africa
Industry: Hospitality & Tourism

Challenge:
Sun City, a world-renowned resort with four luxury hotels, needed to reduce its reliance on the national grid, align with Eskom’s 10% demand reduction target, and maintain aesthetics and quiet operation. The resort required 428,000 litres of hot water daily at 60°C for its hotels.

Solution:
Solahart designed and installed a custom heat pump system tailored for Southern Africa:

• Water-to-Water Heat Pump System for the Palace of the Lost City (80,000 litres/day)
• Three Air-to-Water Heat Pump Systems for SoHo Hotel (60,000 L), Cascades Hotel (40,000 L), and Cabanas Hotel (50,000 L)
• Total installation:
  • 7 x HW80-3 (Sun City Main Hotel)
  • 6 x HW20-3 (Cascades Hotel)
  • 2 x HW60-3 (Cabanas Hotel)
  • 3 x HWW80-3 (Palace of the Lost City)

The ESCo project, partially funded by Eskom, achieved a demand reduction of over 650 kW while improving the resort’s Heritage® score.

Results:

• Energy Savings: 1.28 GWh annually
• Environmental Impact: Significant reduction in grid dependency
• Operational Benefits: Quiet, efficient, and aesthetically integrated solution