Waverley Council

Is a Power Partner
Waverley Council is committed to addressing the challenge of climate change and recognises the important role councils play in delivering local solutions to this global issue. The Cities Power Partnership provides a wonderful opportunity for Waverley to work collaboratively with councils from all over Australia to help drive the transition towards a low carbon future. Waverley is delighted to be a part of this collective effort and looks forward to contributing to and learning from the program.
Mayor John Wakefield

Council has chosen the following pledges

Power council operations by renewable energy, and set targets to increase the level of renewable power for council operations over time.

Through the SSROC led bulk renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement, Waverley will procure renewable energy generated from a new off-site large scale solar or wind farm to meet at least 20% of our total electricity supply, with the view to scaling this amount up over time.

Provide incentives for energy efficient developments and upgrades to existing buildings.

Through the Building Futures program, Waverley Council will provide financial and technical support to building owners of high rise residential buildings in Bondi Junction to help improve their energy efficiency and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Provide incentives and/or remove barriers to encourage local businesses to take up solar power and battery storage.

Waverley will seek to increase the uptake of rooftop solar for residential and commercial strata buildings, through the support of existing rooftop solar access models and the development of new innovative programs.

Develop education and behaviour-change programs to support local residents and businesses to tackle climate change through clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport.

Council will increase awareness and engagement in the community on energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable transport through our Second Nature program. By developing and delivering digital and print communications, targeted behaviour change initiatives, workshops, events and collaboration with community groups and other stakeholders, Second Nature empowers our community to take sustainability actions in their everyday lives.

Develop procurement policy to ensure that the practices of contractors and financers align with council’s renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport goals.

Waverley will deliver our “Embedding Sustainability” project to ensure environmental sustainability is systemic across Council’s day to day business, services, and operation. The program will involve refining our procurement processes, ensuring our projects are designed and delivered to high environmental sustainability standards, by skilled and engaged staff to increase resource efficiency within Council offices and venues.

Waverley Council

What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability:

Waverley Council has achieved a 28% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions since July 2003.

Buildings make up around half of Waverley’s overall greenhouse gas emissions profile. Through the application of LED lighting and building control systems designed to improve the operational efficiency of heating, ventilation, and cooling systems, Waverley has reduced the energy consumption of our most energy intensive buildings by around 20%.

Council has also worked in partnership with Ausgrid to facilitate the upgrade of more than 700 street lights to LED, whilst also rolling out LED lighting across all of our parks and sports grounds. We’ve also installed more than 250kW of solar panels across 12 Council sites, and have begun trialling the use of electric vehicles within Council’s fleet.

In addition to these projects, Waverly also purchases 25% GreenPower for our 6 largest sites.

What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability:

Looking forward, Waverley has a variety of programs in place to achieve both Council and Community focused sustainability outcomes. With regards to Council’s internal operations, Waverley has a second phase of energy and water efficiency upgrades planned for our largest buildings, and will continue to install rooftop solar panels at these sites – potentially coupled with energy storage technology. We are also participating in an SSROC led bulk renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement, which would facilitate the supply of renewable energy to meet at least 20% of Waverley’s electricity supply.

To help integrate sustainability throughout our community, Council officers are delivering the Building Futures program with building managers in Bondi Junction to encourage the uptake of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. We are also working in partnership with Woollahra and Randwick Councils to provide public electric vehicle charging stations across the Eastern Suburbs, with the view to enable the faster uptake of electrical vehicles throughout the community.  Waverley will also seek to improve the accessibility of rooftop solar for residential and commercial tenants through the development of new solar access models, or through the support of existing solar access programs.

Through our Second Nature program, Council will also continue to increase awareness and engagement in the community on energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable transport. By developing and delivering digital and print communications, targeted behaviour change initiatives, workshops, events and collaboration with community groups and other stakeholders, the Second Nature program empowers our community to take sustainability actions in their everyday lives.

Why council joined the Cities Power Partnership:

By joining the Cities Power Partnership Waverley hopes to share knowledge and resources with other proactive Council’s delivering similar sustainability projects. By sharing our experience and learning from other Councils, we hope to increase the successful implementation of sustainability projects both within Waverley, and across Australia.

http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/environment/energy_and_climate_change