Header image

Don’t trust your home’s star rating to reduce your environmental impact

Posted by Barney Mezey in Carbon Measurement and Tracking | Climate Change | Electricity Supply | Energy Efficiency | Home | Low energy buildings - (0 Comments)
Don’t trust your home’s star rating to reduce your environmental impact

Reports recently published in newspapers indicate that the government’s mandatory energy star rating schemes of homes is rather inaccurate. The scheme has been heavily-criticised by the building industry (HIA and MBA) and they are calling on scientists and the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency to review the way the star rating is calculated for new houses. Read more →

Baw Baw Shire council cuts electricity use by 30% in a rented office.

Posted by Bruce Rowse in Cogeneration | Computers and Office Equipment | Energy Efficiency | Lighting - (1 Comments)
Baw Baw Shire council cuts electricity use by 30% in a rented office.

Last week I caught up with Raj Maniher of Baw Baw shire council in their Smith Street Community Development office that council is renting in Warragul. Raj has implemented a number of measures to cut energy use in the office, and has achieved a 30% electricity saving. Some of the measures implemented include: Insulating the … Read more →

The Venny – a sensible low energy building with an experimental green roof

Posted by Bruce Rowse in Climate Positive | Energy Efficiency | Low energy buildings - (2 Comments)
The Venny – a sensible low energy building with an experimental green roof

On the weekend I attended the opening of the new Venny, an adventure playground for children from the ages of 5 to 16 in Kensington near the public housing estate. The new Venny replaces an older building, and from an energy perspective has outstanding, passive-solar design.  I’d encourage other local governments to learn from the … Read more →

LED comments by an early innovator

Posted by Bruce Rowse in Energy Efficiency | Lighting - (3 Comments)

Mal Oldis, an earlier innovator with LEDS, contacted me recently with the following comments on our report LED as a fluorescent substitute: I have read with interest your assessment of LED lighting vs Fluorescent lighting. Well done!! I have done much work with LEDs and yes, much credibility is lost due to false and exaggerated … Read more →

, , ,

Government funding for “disruptive and innovative” energy efficiency

Posted by Bruce Rowse in Energy Efficiency | HVAC - heating, ventilation and air-conditioning - (0 Comments)

The US government has set up a special agency within the Department of Energy called the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to promote “Disruptive and Innovative Approaches” to clean technology.  ARPA has the following objectives (from the ARPA website): To bring a freshness, excitement, and sense of mission to energy research that will attract many … Read more →

, , , , ,