Green Funds
Climate change is no longer an isolated environmental issue, but a global concern that impacts on business, communities, individuals and governments alike.
The state and federal governments have been instrumental in the development of incentive schemes to aid business in offsetting costs in relation to their environmental, energy efficiency and research and development programs. These incentive programs have the ability to make an energy efficiency drive in your organisation more attractive and realise a greater return on investment.
Efficient Energy Systems is well positioned to work with business to develop energy efficiency solutions and make submissions for funding on behalf of its clients.
Clean Business Australia
As part of its 2008/2009 budget, the federal government announced a $240 million Clean Business Australia initiative designed to partner with businesses and industry to deliver energy and water efficiency projects.
The Clean Building Fund, which forms part of the Clean Business Initiative, makes available $90 million to Australian businesses to implement energy efficiency measures through retrofitting and retro commissioning existing commercial buildings.
Under this scheme the federal government shall provide up to 50% or $500,000, of the cost of retrofitting and retro-commissioning.
NSW Climate Change Fund
A $340 million program, which includes up to $30 million Green Business Fund, provides grants to businesses undertaking water and energy saving projects.
SA Building Innovation Fund
The Building Innovation Fund makes available $2 million over 4 years commencing in 2008-2009 to owners of office buildings for initiatives that demonstrate new and leading edge approaches to retrofitting existing buildings and significantly reduce building energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Tune Up Victoria
The Property Council in conjunction with the Victorian Government and the Melbourne City Council is proposing the establishment of a $10.4 million fund to focus on energy and sustainability projects in existing buildings and matched with private investment on a one to one basis. The proposal at this time is under review by the Victorian Government.
City of Melbourne, 1200 Buildings
A broad strategy in line with the Melbourne City Council’s, zero nett emissions strategy by 2020. The strategy indentifies a number of key areas for improved energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption including transport, distributed energy and commercial buildings.
The program undertakes to retrofit 1,200 existing buildings with energy efficiency measures by 2020 and aims to achieve energy savings upwards of 30%.
CitySwitch Green Office
CitySwitch Green Office is a national tenant energy management program run in partnership between the cities of Sydney, North Sydney, Parramatta, Willoughby, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane and state government agencies, the Department of Environment & Climate Change NSW and Sustainability Victoria.
With a geographical location representing approximately 70 per cent of Australia’s office space, the program works with tenants to improve office energy efficiency, thereby reducing the CO2 emissions attributed to global warming. One of the main reasons for choosing this way to save energy is that tenants can influence up to 50 percent of total energy use in office buildings.
CitySwitch Signatories commit to achieve and maintain an accredited 4 stars or higher NABERS Energy tenancy rating. NABERS Energy measures and rates a tenancy's actual yearly greenhouse gas emissions using 12 months of energy bills.
Mandatory Disclosure of Energy Performance
The government has recognised the need for a scheme to promote greater investment in energy efficiency measures in existing buildings. The federal government is considering the introduction of new legalisation for the mandatory disclosure of energy performance for 2010. The mandatory disclosure shall apply for any building or part of, with a nett lettable area greater than 2,000 square meters, when that space is sold, leased or sub-leased. It is proposed that the energy rating and energy efficiency assessment if disclosed to the potential buyer or tenant at that time. The NABERS Energy rating scheme shall be used for the energy assessment and needs to be undertaken by a NABERS accredited professional.
