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Business and Building Efficiency

Making your business energy and water efficient is one of the simplest ways to reduce overheads and increase profits. There are multiple ways you can achieve this, depending on the type of business you run, and the facilities used.

Canterbury-Bankstown Council is supporting our local business community by providing a free energy analysis and report. This process will analyse your electricity usage data and use information gathered during a site visit to provide recommendations to your business on exactly what actions are possible to save you money.

The benefits for your business include:

  • Financial savings ($)
  • Improved infrastructure
  • Reduced carbon footprint
  • New customers
  • Ongoing support to monitor your electricity usage

One financial incentive currently on offer in the Canterbury Bankstown area is the power 2U program. This is available in selected suburbs and provides a significant discount for the purchase of solar PV or LED lighting. The suburbs are: Bankstown, Bankstown Aerodrome, Chullora, Condell Park, Milperra, Padstow, Padstow Heights, Revesby, Revesby Heights.

If you own a property in these suburbs and would like to receive a discounted quotation please visit:

and contact any of the five approved suppliers.      

Please contact tarah.slattery@cbcity.nsw.gov.au for more information.

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When building or renovating, you will save money and energy if you include energy efficiency in your design.

Introduced in 2004 as part of the NSW planning system, the Building Sustainability Index ( BASIX​) is a planning tool that measures the potential energy efficiency of the designs of all new residential dwellings. Each development application for a residential dwelling must be submitted to Council with a BASIX Certificate. All new homes, renovations over $50,000 and swimming pools with a capacity greater than 40,000 litres require a BASIX Certificate.

When building or renovating, consider using building materials that improve the thermal performance of your home. Also, consider installing energy and water saving fixtures and appliances including energy efficient lighting, insulation, taps and water tanks. Saving energy and water will save you money and help the environment. You can also download the Renovators Guide as well as templ​ates for briefing your architect, designers, tradespersons and contractors.​

More information

For more information about making your home more sustainable, go to the NSW Office of Envi​ronment and Heritage website.

Contact

BASIX ensures that new homes and renovations are designed and built to be more energy and water efficient. For more information, contact the BASIX Help Line on 1300 650 908​, or talk to your builder or designer. ​ 

Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centres’ feature Green Wall.

The library's living Green Wall is a beautiful natural feature of the building and helps generate a pleasant and calming space. The plants assist with improving the indoor air quality and are an important part of the building's energy efficient air conditioning system. The Green Wall was installed in 2014, prior to the opening of the Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre.

The Green Wall is nine and a half metres high and covers 70 square metres. It contains approximately 4,500 plants. The air from the library is drawn in over the plants through a chamber behind the wall. The plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and also assist with removal of volatile organic compounds. The air then moves through the air conditioning system being cooled (or warmed) before returning through floor vents.

To assist with health of the plants, natural lighting is supplemented with spot lights powered by roof mounted solar panels. As with any garden, some regular maintenance and plant replacement is needed and Council contracts the designer and builder of the Green Wall to undertake this work.

More information on the BLaKC Green Wall:​

https://junglefy.com.au/project/bankstown-library-and-knowledge-centre/

Green Walls and Roofs

Green Walls and roofs can be installed inside or outside buildings to provide a range of benefits which include:

  • Improved indoor air quality;
  • Aesthetic improvement;
  • Support for mental and physical health;
  • Cooling for our cities and suburbs;
  • The removal of volatile organic compounds;
  • Thermal insulation;
  • Acoustic insulation;
  • Reduction of urban heat-island (UHI) effect; and
  • Increase in biodiversity and the creation of more natural spaces.

For more information on how to design and build your own green wall or green roof:

Solar and Energy Efficiency

Solar power systems on your rooftop use renewable energy from the sun to create electricity. They reduce the amount of electricity you need from the grid and excess electricity can be directed back into the grid, or stored in a battery for later use. Solar has a number of environmental and economic benefits, including:

  • Reducing your carbon footprint
  • Lowering electricity bills
  • Potentially attracting financial incentives from your retail energy provider

To find out more on how solar works, installing and grants available visit the NSW Government Energy Saver website.

SunSPoT is a great online tool to help you calculate how much electricity and money a solar PV system could save you at home or your business.

This is done by analysing your roof, shading, weather and solar radiation data, and combining these with your electricity usage and billing costs

The Federal Government has developed an online tool to help you compare electricity and gas offers, understand your energy bills and learn about energy consumer rights. For details, go to www.energymadeeasy.gov.au.

Being energy efficient is the number one thing you can do to reduce your power bills and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Here are a few simple changes you can make to be more energy efficient at home:

Draughts

Draughts and air leakage can lead to between 15-25% of heat loss. Keep heat from escaping your home by:

Draught proofing gaps around external doors and windows with adhesive tapes or seals.
Furnishing windows with heavy curtains and pelmets, window films or, in a pinch, bubble wrap.

Heating and cooling

Many households find that heating and cooling is their biggest energy expense. Cut those costs while keeping warm or cool with these energy-saving tips:

Heat and cool with your home’s Reverse Cycle Air Conditioner. Isolate and close off to the areas you spend the most time in rather than heating and cooling the entire home
Set your Air Conditioner or heater to 18-20℃ in winter or 23-25℃ in summer.
Where possible, use fans with air conditioners (or better yet, instead of A/C) to circulate warm air in winter and cold air in summer
Prioritise personal heating with items like electric blankets or heated throw rugs rather than heating the entire room. Personal heating options only cost around 3c per hour to run

Hot water

For hot water systems, adjust the thermostat to 60 degrees for a storage and 50 for an instantaneous system

Take showers instead of baths
Take 4-6 minute showers by using a timer
Wash laundry in cold water
When replacing your hot water system, install a hot water heat pump

Electronics and appliances

Here are ways to reduce your appliance’s electricity consumption:

Use a laptop instead of a desktop computer.
Switch TVs and computers to an energy saving setting.
Turn off appliances and electronics at power point when not in use (except fridge)
Set your refrigerator to 3°- 4°, and your freezer to -15° to -18°. Check your fridge/freezer door seals are intact and replace if not.

The NSW Government is trialling a new way to help people on low incomes reduce their electricity bills by installing free three kilowatt solar systems on their homes. To be eligible you must be a low income homeowners that hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card and are currently receiving the Low-Income Household Rebate.

Solar is a great way to reduce your environmental footprint and you can save up to $600 a year on your household electricity bills. That’s up to twice as much as the Low Income Household Rebate of $285 a year.

For more details about the program - including eligibility and how to apply - please refer to the program guide on the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.

Get GreenPower​

Switching to a 100% GreenPower electricity plan is the best thing you can do for our planet today. It’s your fastest way to go renewable, even if you rent or live in an apartment.

GreenPower is a government accredited and audited green energy program which is available to all residents in Sydney. It provides a more sustainable energy alternative to everyone, even if you can’t install solar panels. 
You can switch your electricity plan to a GreenPower accredited plan if you rent, own, live in an apartment, house or run a business. GreenPower electricity plans are available through more than ten energy providers in Sydney and you could switch to a GreenPower plan in as little as 10 minutes.  
For more information, visit getgreenpower.sydney 

Home saving efficiency
Water is the most common substance on earth however 97% of the earth’s water is saltwater. This is not suitable for us to drink. The other 3% of the earth’s water is fresh water, but even this is mostly inaccessible to us locked up in groundwater and as ice. This leaves us just 0.0075% of the earth’s water suitable to for us to use. Australia is the driest inhabited content in the world and it is therefore important that we use the little water we have effectively and do not waste it.
Did you know a leaking tap can waste up to 2,000 litres of water a month? Simple changes in habit and home maintenance can save thousands of litres of wasted water and reduce your water bill.

What can you do?

  • Regularly check and fix any leaking taps, toilets and showers to prevent wastage.
  • Water plants in the morning or evening. Avoiding the heat ​of the day limits evaporation ensuring that more of your water reaches your plants.
  • Take shorter showers
  • Turn off taps while brushing teeth of saving
  • Ensure dishwasher is full before running a cycle
  • Look for water and energy efficient appliances when purchasing
  • Install water efficient showers and toilet systems
  • Plant native plants, these are naturally adapted to the local conditions over thousands of years and will require less watering
  • Use a broom rather than a hose to clean driveways, paved areas and paths.
  • Install a rainwater tank​ or greywater system in your home.

More information

For more information, visit Syd​ney Water