Season's Greetings

Best wishes for the festive season from the Sustainable Energy Development Office. Thank you for all your support and interest throughout the year. Sustainable Energy Matters will not be issued in January 2005. We look forward to being back in touch with you in February 2005.

Regards,
Communication and Marketing Team
Sustainable Energy Development Office

Saving Energy In Hot Climates

Energy Minister, Eric Ripper, recently announced a trial of energy efficiency initiatives in remote parts of Western Australia. The trial will take place in the Shires of Exmouth and Meekatharra, with special rebates being offered to residents to reduce energy use and free energy audits being made available to local businesses. The initiatives are aimed at helping the regional communities cut energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  More info...

Gosnells Community Building Saves Energy

The City of Gosnells' new community building, The Agonis, was officially opened by the Hon Dr Geoff Gallop, Premier of Western Australia, on 24 November. Before construction of The Agonis started in 2003, the City of Gosnells entered into a commitment agreement with the Sustainable Energy Development Office to design, construct and maintain a building that would perform at 4.5 stars under the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme. The Council was the first organisation to sign such an agreement in Western Australia.  More info...

Government Agencies Reduce Greenhouse Emissions

In only the second year of operation of the Energy Smart Government program, 21 State government agencies have already achieved the 12% energy reduction target set for 2006/07. During the past financial year, stationary energy use in Government agencies fell by over 91,500 gigajoules (GJ) and avoided the generation of 13,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions - equivalent to taking around 3,000 cars off the road. Since it started in June 2002, the program has saved over 173,000 GJ of energy, representing a saving of more than $2.3 million in agency operating budgets.  More info...

Western Australia At The Forefront Of Solar Water Heater Uptake

The popularity of solar water heating continues to grow across Australia and Western Australians are at the forefront of their uptake. A recent survey by the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association revealed that the installation of solar water heaters in new homes has grown by 61% per annum over the past three years in Western Australia compared to the national average of 30%. Sales of gas-boosted solar water heaters have grown at 156% per annum compared to the national average of 32%, with the majority of systems installed in new homes.  More info...

Government Power To Go To Tender

Energy Minister, Eric Ripper, recently announced that the Western Australian Government is putting the supply of electricity to State government agencies out to tender. The Government is combining individual agency requirements into a large whole-of-government contract to take advantage of increasing competition in the electricity market and to secure a competitive pricing structure for the supply of electricity. The contract also requires that five per cent of the energy comes from renewable sources, in accordance with requirements of the Western Australian Greenhouse Strategy.  More info...

Free Home Energy Audits

The City of Joondalup is offering free home energy audits as part of its Ecohouse Project. The purpose of the project is to educate and promote actions that local residents can achieve to help reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.  More info...

New Energy Efficiency Measures For Buildings

The Australian Building Codes Board has developed a revised set of energy provisions for houses to be included in the Building Code of Australia in 2006 and a new set of energy efficiency measures for commercial (Class 5-9) buildings. The proposed measures provide a total energy efficiency package, following on from the measures incorporated into the Building Code of Australia on 1 January 2003 for houses (Class 1 and 10) and the recently released energy provisions for multi-residential (Class 2, 3 and 4) buildings to be adopted in the Building Code of Australia 2005 (Volume 1).  More info...

SGIO WA Environment Awards 2004

The winners of the SGIO WA Environment Awards 2004 were announced on 19 November, with Pot Recyclers named the overall winner for its work in reprocessing polypropylene plant pots. The company also received a special commendation for its efforts in energy efficiency. Other winners in sustainable energy-related categories included the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council and Naragebup, the Rockingham Regional Environment Centre.  More info...
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