The Orchards Norwest: How Altogether is powering a sustainable community

The Orchards Norwest: How Altogether is powering a sustainable community

The Orchards is a masterplanned, apartment community in Sydney’s Norwest, created by Sekisui House with Altogether as the multi‑utility partner. It combines green design, high‑quality amenities and integrated energy solutions to deliver a more sustainable way of living for residents.

Key highlights include:

• Around 1,300 apartments planned across multiple stages.
• Over half the site is dedicated to landscaped and communal green spaces.
• An embedded energy network managed by Altogether.
• One of Australia’s largest high‑rise rooftop solar systems.
• Future‑ready EV charging infrastructure integrated into the energy design.

A masterplanned community for modern living

Sekisui House has designed The Orchards as a highly landscaped, lifestyle‑focused precinct, with a strong emphasis on green space and community connection. Residents enjoy a mix of courtyards, pools, wellness areas and shared facilities, which are all supported by smarter infrastructure behind the scenes.

The community’s design principles include:

• Generous landscaping and tree canopy to create a natural buffer from surrounding streets.
• Communal areas such as outdoor cinemas, pools and garden zones to encourage social connection.
• Energy‑efficient building design and systems to lower day‑to‑day running costs.
• A long‑term sustainability vision that includes biodiversity and regeneration outcomes.

By aligning built form, landscape and services, The Orchards offers a more resilient model of apartment living that is better prepared for climate and cost‑of‑living pressures.

Embedded energy: Smarter power behind the scenes

Altogether delivers an embedded energy network at The Orchards, aggregating the buying power of the entire development to secure more competitive electricity rates before distributing power across the site. Instead of each apartment negotiating with individual retailers, the community benefits from a single, optimised supply arrangement managed by a specialist provider.

In practical terms, this means:

• Bulk electricity purchasing at the “gate” for the whole precinct.
• Distribution of power to apartments and common property through an on‑site network.
• The potential for more competitive pricing and more predictable energy costs for residents.
• A single point of contact for ongoing management, metering and billing.

This embedded model also makes it easier to integrate local generation, such as rooftop solar, and to plan for new demands like EV charging without overloading building infrastructure.

Rooftop solar: Clean energy for common areas

A standout feature of The Orchards is its large‑scale rooftop solar system, delivered by Sekisui House in partnership with Altogether. Spread across the development’s high‑rise buildings, it is described as one of the largest rooftop solar installations of its kind in Australia.

The solar solution is designed to:

• Cover approximately 6,000 m² of rooftop area with panels.
• Generate around 1 GWh of clean electricity per year.
• Primarily power common areas such as lobbies, lifts, pools and outdoor facilities.
• Reduce carbon emissions and lessen reliance on grid‑supplied electricity.

By using locally generated renewable energy for shared facilities, the community can enjoy resort‑style amenities without facing the higher running costs normally associated with them. It also helps shield residents and owners' corporations from some of the volatility of grid energy prices over time.

EV charging: Powering the shift to electric mobility

Electric vehicle ownership is rising rapidly in Sydney, and The Orchards has been designed to support this shift from the outset. Altogether has worked with Sekisui House to deliver an EV‑ready infrastructure backbone that makes charging more convenient for residents while protecting the building’s overall power capacity.

The EV charging solution includes:

• Dedicated charging locations within the development.
• Capacity for multiple vehicles to charge simultaneously, with infrastructure sized to building demand.
• Integration with the embedded energy network to support smarter energy use and billing.
• A scalable design that can expand as EV uptake increases over time.

This integrated approach means residents can charge at home, within their community, using an infrastructure platform that is future‑proofed rather than retrofitted. It also makes The Orchards more attractive to buyers and tenants who see EV readiness as a non‑negotiable part of modern, sustainable apartment living.

Benefits for residents, strata and the environment

The Orchards’ sustainability features are not just about technology; they translate into tangible benefits for the people who live and invest there. By combining embedded energy, rooftop solar and EV charging, the community is better equipped to deliver comfort and convenience at a lower environmental cost.

For residents:

• Potential savings on energy bills via competitive embedded network pricing.
• Access to high‑quality amenities powered by cleaner electricity.
• On‑site EV charging that fits into everyday life rather than requiring off-site public charging.

For strata and building owners:

• Simplified management of complex energy and EV infrastructure through a specialist multi‑utility provider.
• Scalable solutions that can evolve as the community grows and technology changes.
• A stronger value proposition when marketing apartments to sustainability‑minded buyers.​

For the environment:

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions through local solar generation and efficient energy use.
• Lower reliance on imported fossil fuels over the long term.
• A community blueprint that can be replicated in other urban developments.

The Orchards as a blueprint for future communities

The Orchards Norwest is emerging as a flagship example of sustainable apartment living in Sydney, demonstrating what is possible when visionary design and smart infrastructure are planned together from day one. Sekisui House’s focus on green, inclusive masterplanning, combined with Altogether’s embedded energy, solar and EV solutions, creates a community that is cleaner, smarter and more resilient than a conventional development.

As additional stages such as Zeste are delivered, the precinct will continue to evolve as a connected, highly landscaped neighbourhood powered by innovative utility solutions. For developers, strata managers and councils, The Orchards provides a practical case study of how partnering with an experienced multi‑utility provider can turn sustainability ambitions into measurable outcomes for both people and planet.