Holiday accommodation energy review: practical checks for Tasmanian owners and managers
Holiday accommodation in Tasmania has to be comfortable when the guest arrives. The heating and the hot water have to work.
Between bookings, the property is either empty, being cleaned, or being made ready. A monthly bill adds those days together, so you cannot see them apart.
Here is where to start.
Put the booking calendar beside the meter data
Mark occupied nights, changeovers and vacant periods next to the meter data you have. Note the weather, and anything unusual such as maintenance. Sharing this data with managers and staff can help start improvements, and it gives a baseline for energy management.1
Before you turn anything off, write down what has to stay on. Refrigeration, security and moisture management may need to keep running while the property is empty.
Walk through as a guest
Go through the arrival as someone who has never stayed there. Can you find the heating controls? Is it clear which unit serves which room? Are the instructions short enough to use after a late arrival?
Leave a short note on how to get comfortable. Write it for a guest who has just arrived.
Then see whether the heating you have covers the rooms guests use. Your Home, written for houses, says heating zones and thermostats are essential to reduce energy use, so set the ones you have for those rooms before you add restrictions or more automation.2
Agree the changeover with the cleaner
Fit a short checklist to the property, and agree it with the cleaner:
- settings checked;
- avoidable loads switched off;
- loads that have to stay on left running;
- maintenance issues written down; and
- anything unusual handed to the owner or manager.
Check hot water against a full house
Use a full house as the test, not a quiet midweek booking. Your Home, also written for houses, says a tank that is too small for the number of people can run out, or need reheating more often. That extra heating is not always at the best time for efficiency and cost.3
Compare the tank’s capacity and recovery with the turnover you actually get.
If you change when the system heats, keep its own operating settings and temperature requirements.
Agree any remote controls first
If you add remote controls, agree who can use them, how someone on site overrides them, and what still works when the internet is down. The guest needs a practical way to put things right.
Check whether a change worked
Write down the change, the date and the equipment. Then look at energy use next to occupied nights and guest feedback. A smaller bill in a quieter month does not prove an improvement.
When capital work comes up, keep comfort and maintenance jobs separate from projects you would justify by energy savings. They need different evidence.
Get the day-to-day routine steady first, so the owner, manager and cleaner can follow it at every changeover. You can then look at new equipment against how the property actually runs.
Frequently asked questions
Where should a holiday accommodation energy review start?
Put the booking calendar next to the meter data. Mark occupied nights, changeovers and vacant periods, and note the weather and anything unusual, such as maintenance.
Is all energy used during vacant periods wasted?
No. Refrigeration, security and moisture management may need to keep running between bookings. Write that list before you change a schedule.
How should hot water be checked for guest turnover?
Check the tank and its recovery against a full house, not a quiet midweek booking.
Does a lower bill in a quiet month show a change worked?
No. Write down the change, the date and the equipment, then look at energy use next to occupied nights and guest feedback. A smaller bill in a quieter month does not prove an improvement.
If you want a scope and a clear order of work before you change a schedule or buy equipment, start with business and community energy advice.
Further reading
Sources
Footnotes
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Metering and monitoring, energy.gov.au. Source reviewed 2 November 2026. ↩
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Heating and cooling, Your Home. Source reviewed 2 November 2026. ↩
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Hot water systems, Your Home. Source reviewed 2 November 2026. ↩
