Aged-care facility pledges sustainability

Regis Aged Care is boosting its sustainability profile by implementing LED lighting and solar installations across 35 of its sites. The investments will reduce the aged-care provider’s environmental footprint and associated energy costs.

Regis Aged Care will install 4400 solar panels and more than 15,000 LED lights in the first phase of upgrades planned for the next two years. The lighting and solar installations are part of Regis’s commitment to Sustainability Victoria’s TAKE2 pledge, a state government initiative helping Victorians take decisive action against climate change.

Partnering with Planet Ark Power, the solar panel installation will cover a total area of 8564 m², enough to cover 33 tennis courts and capable of generating 1.6 MW of electricity.

“It’s really important for corporate Australia to play a strong role in ensuring we move towards a carbon neutral economy,” said Planet Ark CEO Paul Klymenko.

“It is great to see Regis taking this major step in their sustainability journey, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration, which has environmental and economic benefits for Regis and their residents.”

For its lighting installation, Regis has contracted green energy partner Shine On to install more than 15,000 LED lights.

James Johnson, Managing Director at Shine On, said, “Shine On is delighted to be working with Regis on this multi-site LED lighting upgrade. In addition to improving the quality of lighting for residents, our market-leading lights will enable Regis to achieve greater energy savings. With the LED upgrade alone, they are set to reduce their CO₂ emissions by over 2400 tonnes per annum.”

The solar and lighting installations are estimated to reduce electricity consumption by up to 20% annually and decrease greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂-e) by around 3700 tonnes across the aged-care facilities in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. This energy reduction equates to removing around 1500 cars from the road, 1.3 million kilograms of coal burnt or 450 million smartphones being charged each year.

The LED and solar projects are set for completion in August 2019, with the investment estimated to pay itself off in just under four years.

Regis National Sustainability Manager Dr Kaushik Sridhar said that in addition to producing better energy performance and futureproofing the aged-care homes against rising energy costs and regulations, the lighting and solar upgrades would also improve the aesthetics of the aged-care facilities through improved lighting.

Dr Sridhar said that lighting accounts for up to 35% of total energy consumption at a typical aged-care facility.

“We’ll reduce the amount of energy consumed via more efficient LED technology while producing more of the electricity required on-site via solar,” he said.

“All up, we expect to cut electricity use by approximately 20% across the 35 residential homes. That’s a very good environmental outcome, but it’s also helping improve the operational efficiency of each facility through lighting clarity creating less operational disruptions,” Dr Sridhar concluded.

The TAKE2 pledge

Delivered by Sustainability Victoria, TAKE2 is a program that provides every Victorian business, local government, community organisation and home with the information they need to act on climate change.

Regis is one of more than 1000 businesses that have taken the pledge, joining a 13,000-strong network of Victorians working together to achieve the following targets by 2050: achieving net-zero emissions and keeping global temperature rise to below 2°.

As part of the TAKE2 program, Regis has committed to implementing sustainable practices, including solar panel installation and replacement of high-energy-use lighting with LEDs. The company has also pledged to educate staff and the community on individual actions to reduce environmental impacts.

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