Master plan to assess energy efficiency across Sydney

The City of Sydney has contracted energy experts pitt&sherry and Exergy Australia to calculate how many greenhouse gas emissions could be saved through city-wide energy efficiency measures in buildings.

The assessment will form a foundation report which will lead to the development of an Energy Efficiency Master Plan - to identify, quantify and prioritise the energy efficiency, peak demand reduction and greenhouse gas avoidance potential of all buildings and their activities in the Sydney area.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said it will be the most comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency potential of the city’s building stock ever undertaken.

She noted that through retrofits, the City of Sydney successfully reduced its own buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions by 20% between 2009 and 2012. Upgrades in lighting, air conditioning, power management in PCs and more have saved the City $880,000 a year on its electricity bills.

“The challenge now is to make similar or greater savings across the entire city,” the Lord Mayor said. 

“This plan will show building owners and their tenants just how much they can save on power bills by reducing energy use.”

The basis of the foundation report will contain modelling of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from buildings in Sydney using new and existing research data. pitt&sherry will use the research to provide recommendations for reducing building emissions and work alongside the City of Sydney to establish policy that would support the introduction of new sustainable measures.

Phil Harrington, Principal Consultant & Manager - Carbon & Energy at pitt&sherry, said the contract is a “high-profile” one and the company is “confident of providing the innovative research required by the City of Sydney.”

“We have extensive knowledge and experience modelling energy and greenhouse gas emissions in a building environment through work with a broad set of national clients,” he noted.

The foundation report will involve consultation with major stakeholders to ensure that possible efficiency initiatives are well grounded and strongly supported. The City already works with residents and businesses saving energy under various programs; these groups will have the chance to explain the regulatory barriers that can make saving energy difficult.

It is hoped that the Energy Efficiency Plan will help the City meet its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030, compared to a 2006 base. It will be one of five plans making up the City’s Green Infrastructure Plan, which aims to create a road map for delivering Sustainable Sydney 2030 through sectoral strategies, targets, opportunities and enabling actions.