Acting on energy efficiency is helping businesses improve their productivity in the face of rising electricity costs, a conference in Perth was told this week.
At the same time, a survey showed that Melbourne CBD office tenants were among the most environmentally-minded in Australia.
Low Carbon Australia’s chief executive, Meg McDonald, told an energy conference in Perth that a building with improved energy efficiency was easier to manage, operating costs were reduced, the value of the building was improved and it was more attractive to tenants.
”In an average building, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning is responsible for about a third of total energy use while lighting accounts for about 15 per cent,” she said. ”Energy efficient lighting systems can reduce lighting energy costs by up to 75 per cent.”
Ms McDonald said Low Carbon Australia provided flexible finance to allow businesses access to the very latest low carbon technologies now. ”There are no upfront costs and repayments are taken out of the savings realised from reduced energy use and operating costs,” she said. ”We help with both access to finance, and access to expertise in installation of proven energy efficient technologies.”
Colliers International’s 2012 Office Tenant Survey found that environmental performance in the work environment and occupying a workspace that maximised staff health and wellbeing were the top priorities for Melbourne tenants in workplace design.
A total of 52 per cent of Melbourne tenants believed there was strategic value in occupying a green building and were willing to pay more rent for this value.
Melbourne tenants were also the second-most knowledgeable after those in Canberra when it came to their average level of understanding of the NABERS and Green Star green ratings.
The survey found 52 per cent had a process for evaluating a building’s environmental performance when selecting buildings, after Canberra (75 per cent).
About 40 per cent of Melbourne tenants reported their environmental performance publicly, making them the second-most accountable after Canberra tenants (55 per cent).
