Solar Progress, February 2009 ~ Australian and New Zealnad Solar Energy Society

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The On-Line Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society

Inthisedi.on

FinancialChange.page1

EnergyEfficiencyForCommercialBuildings

Consulta

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insulation, that must be a good measure. The$2.9 billion in tax breaks could have been

directed more particularly at energy saving andrenewable energy businesses. However, the

package is up for debate still, and greening thepackage is on the agenda.

ANZSESmembersinthemainstreammedia

In an article in The Age on February 2nd,

Muriel Watt and Iain Macgill were notoptimistic recalling the impressive history ofsolar technology innovation and the fact that

rest of the world is embracing the very solarinventions stemming from Australian research

to enable them to secure 21st-century industriesand jobs, while Australia clings to its fossil-fuel

past. Many of our technology breakthroughsnow look as though they will be commercialised

and deployed seemingly everywhere but here.Australia's only solar cell manufacturing facility

run by BP in Sydney will close in April.

As Watt and Macgill stress, we continue to beglobal leaders in solar education, training and

standards development. But without consistentindustry development and market deployment

policies, our innovation stays either in the lab orgoes offshore.

And when it comes economic stimulus packages,the Age article has no sympathy for the urge to

buy energy hungry imported goods. Perhaps a

significant point is that The Age newspaper ispublishing the thoughts of solar energy experts.

Read the entire article here:

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/energy-without-an-end-20090201-7uvm.html

Bill Parker

EnergyEfficiencyForCommercial

BuildingsConsulta.on

It will be easier for prospective buyers and

tenants to find green officespace under a newscheme proposed today by Environment

Minister Peter Garrett.

Under this new mandatory disclosure scheme,an energy efficiency rating and advisory reportwill need to be disclosed at the point of sale or

lease for any commercial office space with a netlettable area of 2000square metres or more,

said Mr Garrett.More and more commercial tenants and buyers

are searching for energy efficient premises.This scheme will help them compare a

buildings energy efficiency when choosing tobuy or lease office buildings.

We want both buyers and tenants to have

access to credible and meaningful informationthat will deliver financial and environmentalbenefits for business and the wider community.

It will also create incentives to stimulateinvestment in energy efficiency improvements in

office buildings.Office buildings contribute the most significant

proportion of emissions for the commercialbuilding sector, accounting for around 27 per

cent of emissions, and emissions are continuingto grow.

The Australian Government is working with the

states and territories through the NationalFramework for Energy Efficiency to develop this

scheme. AConsultation Regulation ImpactStatement and a Consultation Regulation

Document have been released for publiccomment today, ahead of forums being held

early 2009 in all capital cities to engageindustry in the schemes development.

We welcome comments from interested partieson the proposed scheme, said Mr Garrett.

More information on the consultation process isavailable from: www.environment.gov.au

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Studyhasbothgoodandbad

newsforresiden.alenergyuse

A recent study commissioned by the AustralianGovernment, Energy Use in the Australian

Residential Sector 1986-2020, forecasts theenergy consumption of Australian homes. Whileoverall energy consumption in the residential

sector is projected to dramatically increase by

2020, the study also reveals that the energy useper household is expected to decline.

Factors that drive growth in residential energyconsumption are the expected rise in the

number of Australian households and theincreasing size of those homes. The report

forecasts that between 1990 and 2020 thenumber of homes will increase from six million

to almost 10 million. However, energy use perperson will increase over the same period,

driven partly by a decline in occupant levels perhousehold and the fixed energy consumption at

the individual household level.

In 1990 overall energy consumption of

Australian homes was 299 petajoules (PJ) andby 2008 it had grown to about 402 PJ. In 2020

that figure is projected to rise to 467 PJ whichrepresents a 56% increase over the 1990 to 2020

period.

Heating and cooling

The study highlights a number of emergingtrends that are affecting our home energy

consumption now and into the future. Energydemand for heating and cooling will increase as

our homes get bigger, even though the numberof people living in the home declines. More

dwellings in colder climates are being fitted with

whole-house heating systems as opposed toindividual room heaters and the overall numberof air-conditioners has more than doubled in the

past decade.IT equipment

Home computers and other informationtechnology equipment are also contributing to

the increases in energy consumption. As thenumber of personal computers and laptops inthe home has risen, so too will hours of use. In

the early 1990s, the home computer was usedapproximately 500 hours per annum and this is

projected to rise to 1200 hours per annum by2020.

Unfortunately on mode power consumption of

computers has virtually doubled as well, whichhighlights the potentially large energy savings

that can be made through turning off equipmentwhen not in use.

Entertainment

Other contributors to growing energy use aretelevisions, set-top boxes and game consoles.

TrendsinMajorEndUseEnergyConsump.on19902020

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These entertainment systems come at a high

price energy-wise.

Not only is the average home expected to havetwo televisions by 2020 (with one in four

households buying a new TV each year) but thenumber of hours of operation is also steadily

rising. In 1986 the average television was on forapproximately 1500 hours per annum and this is

projected to increase to 2800 hours (per TV) by

2020.

Possibly the biggest factor in increased energy

use of televisions is the emergence of plasmaand LCD TVs which have been driving a trend

towards larger screen sizes. This trend hasresulted in a rapid rise in energy use from an

average on mode consumption ofapproximately 65W in 1986 to 100W in 2005;

this is expected to more than double by 2020 to230W.

The Good News

The study does reveal some good news as itanticipates a 6% decline in energy consumption

per household compared to 1990 levels by 2020.This decline is primarily being driven by

existing and planned energy programs designedto improve energy efficiency of appliances and

higher standards of building design andstructure. Such energy management initiatives

are focused on making air-conditioners,computers and plasma TVs use less energy over

time.

The energy consumption of refrigerators andfreezers has also been in decline since 2004. In

fact, from 1993 to 2006, the average energy useof these appliances has decreased by 40%. Once

again, it has been stringent energy efficientprograms that have brought about this decline

through both the energy labelling system andthe introduction of MEPS the Minimum

Energy Performance Standards.

These results highlight the importance ofdeveloping and implementing programs to

ensure home energy efficiency both in thedwellings structure and design and the energy-

consuming appliances within it.

For a copy of the Energy Use in the Australian

Residential Sector study go to

http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/

energyefficiency/buildings/publications/

energyuse.html