Brighton Council
New bike lanes
80kW solar pv
Brighton Council has identified that one of our key focus areas is to promote sustainable practices throughout council, local businesses and the community. We are thrilled to be partners in the City Power Partnership with the Climate Council and like-minded Councils and communities. We see this as an excellent chance to provide leadership on tackling climate change and transforming our energy future so that we become a more efficient and resilient community. The Cities Power Partnership also provides an exciting opportunity to build capacity through sharing knowledge with other councils and communities across the nation.
Council has chosen the following pledges
Energy Efficiency
Roll out energy efficient lighting across the municipality.
Renewable Energy
Install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage) on council buildings.
ACTION: Investigate the viability of solar on all Council buildings and install solar lighting where possible.
Collaboration
Lobby state and federal government to address barriers to the take up of renewable energy, energy efficiency and/or sustainable transport.
ACTION: Lobby governments to build light rail and ferry services and investigate proposed route and plan for activity nodes around future terminals.
Sustainable Transport
Support cycling through provision of adequate cycle lanes, bike parking and end-of-ride facilities.
ACTION: Retrofit existing roads with bike-lanes with a focus on connecting key roads in Brighton to the new Brighton Road streetscape.
Collaboration
Support local community energy groups with their community energy initiatives.
ACTION: Actively look for opportunities to support community energy projects within the municipality and build knowledge from other CPP Councils that succeeded in this area.
Brighton Council
In 2016 Brighton Council’s Works Depot building was fitted with 120 photovoltaic panels with a combined peak output of 30kW. Council also had an energy audit prepared in 2016 for the main Council chambers building which identified up to $14K worth of savings per annum. Council have begun implementing the recommendations, which include installing heat pumps, replacing lights with LED, improved insulation and solar installations.
Council has recently installed new bicycle lanes and wider footpaths as part of its streetscape upgrades of Brighton township and has begun upgrades on the walking trail and pedestrian network between the suburbs of Bridgewater and Gagebrook/Herdsman’s Cove to encourage sustainable transport options and improve mobility.
There is a Home Energy Audit Toolkit (HEAT) available for residents to borrow free of charge to measure the energy efficiency of specific home appliances.
Council has participated in the Southern Tasmanian Councils Authority’s Regional Climate Change Initiative since 2011. Recently, participating Council’s have partnered with Sustainable Living Tasmania and contributed funds for a Home Energy Bulk Buy program aimed at reducing installation costs for energy efficiency products such as heat pumps, solar installations, insulation etc for residents.
What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transport or broader sustainability
Council hopes to achieve improvements in energy efficiency and greenhouse emissions within its own operations and to communicate our achievements to the wider community and to be seen as a leader in this space. As our knowledge and capacity in this area grows we hope to be able to assist the community to implement their own energy efficiency measures to reduce the cost of power bills. In the longer term, Council hope to be able to be involved in the provision of small to medium scale renewable energy projects such as wind and solar farms.
What council hopes to gain from being a member of the Cities Power Partnership
As a council area that is part urban fringe in the Greater Hobart area and part rural hub for the Southern Midlands and Coal River Valley areas Brighton Council hopes to be a leader in sustainability in the region and the State. Council staff are passionate about energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse emissions, but being small Council lacks a dedicated officer in this space. Through our pledges and the resources and knowledge sharing offered through the Cities Power Partnership, Council sees this partnership as an opportunity to focus our limited resources on achieving sustainable outcomes across our operations and community.