Energy Audit – A regular health check-up for buildings

Between May and June 2018, SBE, in collaboration with Ironbark Sustainability, completed Type 2 Energy Audits at five local government’s facilities including two office buildings, one aquatic and leisure centres, one operational depot centre, and one mixed-use facility incorporating library, art gallery, performing art and office spaces.

Energy audits, as detailed investigation of the energy flows within a building should be considered a crucial and regular milestones  of a building life cycle aimed at understanding where energy come from, how it is used and how it could be optimised overtime. While greater opportunities to increase performance may be found in ‘old’ buildings designed and constructed before Section J of the NCC was introduced, due to the fast uptake of technological improvements regular assessments can be of benefits to building of all ages and types.

These audits identified a variety of improvements including:

• Replacing fluorescent, halogen, mercury vapour, and high pressure sodium lighting with LED technology.
• Installing appropriate lighting controls such as daylight and motion sensors.
• Replacing electric storage domestic hot water units with either electric continuous flow or heat pumps.
• Installing timer on boiling and chilled water taps.
• Retrofitting wall insulation to brick veneer or double brick buildings.
• Installing solar photovoltaic arrays.

If implemented in combination, these improvements would cost approximately $340,000 and would result in a 28% reduction in yearly greenhouse gas emissions, 24% reduction in yearly energy costs and have an average payback period of less than 6 years.