Energy Saver
Subsidised energy audits
OEH provides subsidised energy audits and facilitation to help NSW businesses identify and implement energy savings. An independent energy audit can be crucial in determining your energy use and identifying projects that will deliver cost savings.
Downloads
Download Energy Saver brochure - screen version
(October 2011: 110784EnergySvrscrn.pdf, 600Kb)
Download Energy Saver brochure - print version
(October 2011: 110784EnergySvrprnt.pdf, 560Kb)
Energy audit
An energy audit will be conducted for your organisation. Highly qualified energy auditors will identify opportunities for your organisation to save energy and provide business cases with payback periods and an implementation plan.
These opportunities can be technology upgrades and retrofits, improved maintenance procedures or staff behavioural changes. Technical support will be provided during the implementation phase by the resource efficiency contractor.
Benefits of an energy audit
- Energy and cost savings
- Specialist energy advice and technical support
- Help to measure and understand energy use
- Assistance with project implementation
- Opportunities to network and share energy efficiency ideas
- Opportunity to link audit with a NABERS rating.
See what other businesses have achieved through the program.
Choose your level of audit
Select from three levels of energy audit (each level exceeds Australian Standard AS/NZS 3598:2000)
| Audit | Scope | Audit cost (estimate)* | Subsidy | Your contribution (estimate) |
|---|
| Level 1 | Operational overview and site walk-through | $2,000 - $15,000 | 80% | $400 - $3,000* |
| Level 2 | Detailed investigation and analysis | $8,000 - $30,000 | 70% | $2,400 - $9,000* |
| Level 3** | In-depth investigation and analysis, often involves sub-metering of equipment | $15,000 - $40,000 | 50% | $7,500 - $20,000* |
*Estimate only - will vary depending on size and complexity of site
**Only recommended if preceeded by level 2 energy audit
What level of audit is appropriate?
Level 1 audit
Based on a relatively simple "walk-though" of the site with estimated energy savings and implementation budget calculated to within an accuracy of +-40%.
Level 2 audit
Requires significantly more on-site investigation, measurement and energy monitoring. The energy saving and implementation budget estimates of a Level 2 Audit are delivered with an accuracy of +-20%.
Level 3 audit
Requires even more detailed site investigation and analysis of energy efficiency measures; often involves sub-metering of equipment. The energy saving and implementation budget estimates of a Level 3 Audit are delivered with an accuracy of +10% for capital costs and -10% for energy savings.
Eligibility
To be eligible for Energy Saver sites must use between 160MWh and about 10GWh of electricity a year.
Businesses required to submit a NSW Energy Savings Action Plan or an Energy Efficiency Opportunities Assessment are only eligible for any additional NSW sites not mandated to complete an action plan or assessment.
Your commitment
- Commit to paying 20-50 per cent of the audit cost
- Collect pre-audit energy data and develop a resource consumption baseline
- Develop an active resource efficiency team
- Undertake the Sustainability Advantage Resource efficiency module
- Management involvement at key meetings
- Be willing to implement cost effective energy efficiency recommendations
- Commit to reporting on resource savings at 6, 12 and 18 month intervals after the energy audit.
Resource efficiency module
On-site resource efficiency workshops will help your organisation improve its bottom line by identifying ways to lower water, energy and materials consumption and reduce waste.
OEH will help you establish a resource efficiency team and provide technical support to help your people prioritise and implement projects. The resource efficiency team will establish meaningful goals aligned to clear, achievable targets and key performance indicators.
NABERS rating
NABERS (the National Australian Built Environment Rating System) is a star rating of the environmental performance of existing buildings which includes offices, retail and hotels on a 1-5 star scale. From October 2010, NABERS mandatory disclosure for commercial buildings over 2,000m squared will be introduced.
The NABERS energy assessment will be conducted simultaneously to the energy audit, saving time and resources in identifying and collating data.
Note: The NABERS component of the audit is not directly subsidised by OEH.
The Sustainability Advantage energy audits are a $20 million extension of the Sustainability Advantage Program and part of the NSW Government's $150 million Energy Efficiency Strategy. This strategy is helping NSW households, government and business save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Getting started
There are two ways to get started with an energy audit. Businesses can join the full Sustainability Advantage program at any time.
| Join Energy Saver | Join Sustainability Advantage |
|---|
| Sign up fee of $500 | Sign up fee of between $2,000-$3,000* |
| Subsidised energy audit | Subsidised energy audit |
| Sustainability Advantage Resource efficiency module only | Full access to the Sustainability Advantage services including: Resource efficiency; sustainability strategy; carbon footprint analysis; staff and stakeholder engagement |
| Opportunity to join the full Sustainability Advantage Program at any time | Participation in industry or regional cluster groups |
| | Membership in Sustainability Advantage Recognition Scheme |
* Cost will vary depending on number of employees in the organisation.
Energy Efficient Technology projects
The objective of the energy efficient technology projects is to support the NSW adoption of cost-effective, commercially proven energy efficient technologies. This includes optimising the efficiency of existing equipment or installing new technology.
Sign up for an energy audit
Contact the Energy Saver team on 1300 361 967 or email energysaver@savepower.nsw.gov.au
Page last updated: 16 May 2012
