The Australian Government is supporting community and household action on climate change through Low Carbon Communities. Support will be provided to local councils, community organisations and low income households through the following funding streams:
 

• The $200 million Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) supports energy efficiency upgrades to council and community-use buildings, facilities and lighting.
• The $24 million Local Government Energy Efficiency Program (LGEEP) will support local governing authorities install solar or heat pump hot water systems in local community facilities to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.
• The $100 million Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP) supports a consortium of local councils, community organisations and energy service companies to trial energy efficiency approaches in low income households.
• The $30 million Home Energy Saver Scheme will assist low income households find more sustainable ways to manage their energy consumption.
• The Charities Maritime and Aviation Support Program will offer a rebate for the carbon price impact on essential maritime and aviation fuels used by organisations such as air and sea rescue services.

For further details, please see the DCCEE website at: http://www.climatechange.gov.au/government/initiatives/low-carbon-communities.aspx

CEEP is a merit-based grant program established to provide matched funding to local councils and non-profit community organisations to undertake energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits to council and community-use buildings, facilities and lighting.
The objectives of CEEP are to:
• support a range of local councils and community organisations to improve the energy efficiency of different types of non residential council and community use buildings, facilities and lighting
• demonstrate and encourage the adoption of improved energy management practices within councils, organisations and the broader community.
The Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) has been successful in its first round application for $647,000 in regional funding through CEEP, one of only seven WA recipients from 63 across Australia.

The $1.3 million regional project is titled “Re-energising Perth's Eastern Region: Energy efficient lighting, air-conditioning and pool pump retrofits of key community facilities in Perth's Eastern Region”. EMRC will work with three of its member councils to upgrade street lighting in the Town of Bassendean, pool pump efficiency, internal lighting and air conditioning in the City of Bayswater, and solar pool water heating and pool pump efficiency in the Shire of Mundaring, demonstrating energy efficiency to communities across Perth's Eastern Region.

The annual reduction in energy usage for this project is estimated at 1.6 million kWh, which equates to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1120 tonnes CO₂e. The projected average efficiency improvement across the four facilities is 48%, which is an energy cost saving of over $230,000 a year at current prices.
 

The Variable Speed Drive Systems (VSDS) for improving pump motor efficiency and LED lighting technologies to be implemented under this project are relatively new to Western Australia and the facilities will provide an excellent showcase for more widespread adoption of these efficiency technologies in other, similar applications in the broader community.
 

More information regarding CEEP can be found on the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website at http://www.climatechange.gov.au/ceep

Joanne Woodbridge - Environmental Consultant
Phone: (08) 9424 2243
Email: joanne.woodbridge@emrc.org.au