Page 2337 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 5 August 2015
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Under this program, work has been completed at 10 public schools with the installation of energy efficient fluorescent lights at Mount Stromlo and Alfred Deakin high, the senior campus of Caroline Chisholm, as well as at Arawang, Evatt, Fadden, North Ainslie and Weetangera. These energy efficient fluorescent lights are expected to reduce energy use for lighting by 25 per cent.
In addition to lighting upgrades, the directorate has also undertaken insulation upgrades at schools, which will reduce heat during periods of warmer weather and reduce heat loss during periods of colder weather. This will provide more comfort and will provide a more energy efficient environment.
Trial projects to improve the thermal efficiency of the building fabric have been undertaken at Canberra High School and North Ainslie Primary School. This involved retrofitting ceiling and cavity wall insulation. In the 2015-16 year ceiling insulation upgrades will be undertaken at Caroline Chisholm School and improvements will be made to the thermal efficiency of the building envelopes through things such as draft proofing, glazing upgrades, and better insulation will be undertaken, as mentioned, at schools such as Mount Stromlo and Alfred Deakin.
The green star performance tool kit pilot, developed by the Green Building Council of Australia, is being trialled at Canberra High School, and this focuses on identifying and implementing best practice in the daily operation and maintenance of facilities to reduce the environmental impact of the building assets. To date the directorate has secured over $2 million in loans for a number of energy conservation programs through the ACT government’s carbon neutral government fund that has absolute focus on energy conservations measures.
In summary, the ACT government is taking considerable steps to improve the energy efficiency of our public schools and support investment in renewable energy. Renewable energy is, indeed, sourced from non-coal power stations and I for one, joining others that have made comments on this here today, prefer the image of a wind farm rather than a smoke-billowing, coal-powered station any day. And I congratulate the Minister for the Environment on his ambitious goals for renewable energy.
I thank Ms Porter for bringing forward this important motion today. This goes to the heart of this government securing a bright, healthy and sustainable future for the next generation of Canberrans.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (3.28): I thank members for their support of my motion. Members clearly understand the critical role of renewable energy and understand the critical challenge we face with climate change. Members who understand that understand that this Labor government is showing leadership and will continue to show leadership, unlike the federal government which not only fails in its leadership stakes but is actually taking us backwards and is certainly an embarrassment across the world.
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