Page 239 - Week 01 - Thursday, 18 February 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
government buildings, $1m was provided in the 1990-91 ACT budget - that was yours, Mr Kaine - for energy management measures in buildings. A further $2m was provided in 1991-92 - that was our first budget - with another $1m in last year's budget. So you are entitled to a quarter of the credit for this, Mr Kaine.
The potential for savings varies enormously from building to building. To assess priorities, the costs for energy and other data were collected for buildings owned or rented by the ACT Government and assessed to determine where the best savings could be achieved. Factors determining the potential for savings include the size of the building, the total cost of energy, and the proportion of hours per annum the building should be empty. In general terms, the larger any of these factors are the more attractive they are for energy savings.
In Canberra buildings, approximately 40 per cent of energy is used for lighting, 40 per cent for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, and the remainder for other uses. Typically, savings of up to 60 per cent can be achieved in lighting costs and 20 per cent in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, and these can result in overall savings of up to 30 per cent in individual buildings. The buildings showing the greatest potential for savings are schools, and energy management projects have been concentrated on our schools. In addition to schools, buildings where energy management projects have been or are to be undertaken include the North Building, Civic Offices, the Belconnen bus depot, Tuggeranong swimming pool and the Callum Street Offices.
The simplest way to save energy is to turn off unnecessary lights and appliances. This was recognised many years ago, and education programs were formulated to encourage consumers to turn lights off. Unfortunately, human nature is such that not everyone has the commitment required to do the right thing and turn lights off. In simple terms, the basis of this program is to turn off energy using equipment when it is not required. A variety of equipment has been used to achieve savings, depending on the size and usage of the building. For lighting control, these include 50-minute clockwork timers in school classrooms - a very simple and cheap piece of technology; computerised lighting in larger buildings; movement detectors to control lighting; elimination of excessive lighting; provision of photoelectric cells to control lights; and installation of high efficiency lamps.
For the control of heating and air-conditioning, these include sophisticated time clocks on heating and air-conditioning to ensure that they do not run when not needed - for example, on public holidays; outside air temperature compensation on older buildings where there is no thermostatic control of heating; computerised building management systems; and provision of fresh air cycles on air-conditioning systems. A range of other energy and cost saving measures has been implemented, including changing to more economical electricity tariffs, provision of power factor correction, and switching off hot-water services at weekends and over holidays.
We estimate that we have achieved ongoing savings of $600,000 per annum on the first $1m spent and will receive ongoing total annual savings of $1m on the $2m spent in the first two years. In individual buildings, savings of up to 30 per cent of energy costs have been achieved. In the case of one large complex, the Erindale Centre, the cost of energy has been reduced by 42 per cent. This is the most dramatic single example of where the Government's investment in energy saving is delivering real savings. For an expenditure of $320,000 on new
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .