
Upper Hunter Shire Council
Council has chosen the following pledges
Install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage) on council buildings
Encourage sustainable transport use such as public transport, walking and cycling through council transport planning and design.
Develop education and behaviour-change programs to support local residents and businesses to tackle climate change through clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport
Upper Hunter Shire Council
What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability:
We have recently formed a new Sustainability Advisory Committee and are close to completing a Sustainability Action Plan 2017.
Some recent wins included saving water by irrigating parks with waste water in Scone, our biggest town. This reduced the use of potable water from 75 ML in 2012/13 to only 3 ML for the following years. Over the last few years we have also progressively changed household water rates so access charges are reduced and usage charges are increased, to encourage water efficiencies.
In the past, Council has undertaken an energy audit of major Council infrastructure and high energy use sites and in 2007 developed a financial loss control action plan. We also implemented an Eco-star sustainability rating program for Council facilities which provided a rating for water and energy efficiency.
What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability
Council will continue to update lighting fixtures to LED across all its buildings and facilities and is installing solar PV systems at suitable locations.
We will be using vehicle efficiency as an evaluation criteria for new vehicle purchases and increasing our use of Skype / teleconferences across our three administration offices and other buildings by 30% in 2017/18.
We are investigating the potential for an electric vehicle charging station in the Shire, which would be a great attraction for those using the New England Highway.
More cycleways, solar and other renewable power, eco-tourism and recycling facilities are some of our top priorities. We will continue to manage land use conflicts to protect our agriculture and equine industries.