Woollahra Municipal Council
30%
council’s energy for large sites sourced from renewables
60 of 64
schools participated in the Solar My Schools program
EASTERN SUBURBS
low carbon future plan
Woollahra Council is excited to join the Cities Power Partnership program. We value working collaboratively with other Councils. We see the Cities Power Partnership as an excellent opportunity for sharing knowledge and transferring information in a way that will benefit our local community. We feel this will have a significant and positive impact in a much wider field. Our Council is dedicated to continually improving the sustainability of our own operations. We also support our residents learning about the actions they can take to tackle climate change at the local level. We are excited to share our experiences by working alongside other councils. Together we can lead by example and demonstrate a commitment to energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability. Surely that is worth following.
Council has chosen the following pledges
Develop education and behaviour-change programs to support local residents and businesses to tackle climate change through clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport.
Set up meetings and attend events to work with other cities on tackling climate change.
Power council operations by renewable energy, and set targets to increase the level of renewable power for council operations over time.
Adopt best practice energy efficiency measures across all council buildings, and support community facilities to adopt these measures.
Ensure that new developments are designed to maximise public and active transport use, and support electric vehicle uptake.
Woollahra’s completed pledges
Support the local community to develop capacity and skills to tackle climate change.
To tackle the information barrier, Council will develop a clear step by step information tool to help residents understand the procedure for installing solar power at their homes, or to access community solar projects. The tool will provide specific advice for residents attached and semi-detached houses, apartments buildings in heritage and non-heritage areas.
Support community facilities to access renewable energy through incentives, support or grants.
Solar My School is being delivered by the 3-Council Program (Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick). Solar My School is working with 36 of the 66 schools in the Eastern Suburbs to help them install solar PV and realise the positive financial, educational and environment benefits of solar
Roll out energy efficient lighting across the municipality.
In 2014 Council completed a comprehensive audit of its public lighting assets, which includes almost 300 individual light fittings, including park, council owned street lights and ornamental outdoor lighting. Woollahra is rolling out a program of replacing public lighting with energy efficient options as prescribed in the Woollahra Public Lighting Audit Report.
Woollahra Municipal Council
Council’s Environmental Sustainability Action Plan documents Council’s targets and commitments to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water consumption, conserving our urban biodiversity, reducing waste generation and facilitating sustainable transport options. In recent years, Council has delivered large and small scale projects contributing to our GHG emission reduction target, including: Woollahra Municipal Council – Profile and Pledge for Cities Power Partnership 7 March 2018
- Comprehensive upgrade of Council Chambers building including energy-efficient air conditioning system and lighting retrofit, and the installation of an energy submetering system;
- Installation of solar power and solar hot water on Council depots and community buildings;
- Energy efficient lighting upgrade at all Council depots and car parks;
- Energy efficiency rollout on outdoor lighting.
As of 2018, Council has installed 88kW of solar power capacity on Council assets, achieved an 18% reduction on our 2003/04 greenhouse gas emissions, despite an increase in our asset portfolio and purchases 25% greenpower for all our small electricity sites.
In addition, Woollahra is working with Waverley and Randwick Councils to install solar power on rooftops throughout the LGA. In 2017, a 99.7kW system was installed on Kincoppal Rose Bay school, through the Solar My Schools program. The system is expected to power the equivalent of 745 school computers for a year. Another 26 schools in the eastern suburbs have signed up to the program.
Council is also working with the community on wider sustainability issues, aiming to provide opportunities to learn more and get involved. Programs include our environmental grant program for community groups and schools, establishment of community and communal gardens; workshops, guided tours and events for the community, schools and day care centres.
What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability:
Council is working towards purchasing an increasing amount of renewable energy for all Councils buildings and assets. We are also continually monitoring the energy and water consumption of our assets to look for further opportunities to improve the efficiency of our operations. To assist the community, we are implementing programs to provide information and practical assistance to our residents to facilitate the uptake of solar power, and to make their homes as energy efficient as possible. Council hopes to work closely with other Councils, community groups, schools and residents to make real and effective changes to improve the sustainability of our buildings, assets and our lifestyles.
Why council joined the Cities Power Partnership:
Council joined the Cities Power Partnership to further collaborate with other Councils and to share our knowledge and experiences. Woollahra Municipal Council – Profile and Pledge for Cities Power Partnership 7 March 2018 We hope to learn how other Councils are working with their communities, energy suppliers and residents to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the renewable energy production within their local government area.