THE installation of solar panels at the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre has proved an environmental and financial boost for the region.
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Electricity use at the centre has fallen significantly since the two kilowatt grid was installed in August 2009, a report to council’s climate change committee has found.
The report by environmental services and building director David Shaw details electricity usage patterns at council’s facilities, drawing on data collated by independent environmental auditor Planet Footprint.
Mr Shaw’s report finds that 11 of the 150 facilities under council’s control account for about 90 per cent of council’s annual electricity bill.
And just two facilities – the waste water treatment plant and water filtration plant – are responsible for 60 per cent of the electricity used by council each year.
But the report also highlights the benefits of council, with federal government support, taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint.
Mr Shaw says the installation of solar panels at the information centre has resulted in “significant reductions in electricity consumption”.
“A 2kW grid connected solar generation system, funded under the Federal Government Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP), was installed in August 2009,” Mr Shaw writes.
“This system has since reduced the centre’s electricity consumption by over 6500kW.
“Other savings can be attributed to operational (installing energy saving lights, air conditioner timer) and behavioural (turning off equipment and lights when not in use) changes implemented as a result of the energy audit undertaken at the facility in 2009.
“These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this type of audit and the ease of obtaining savings by implementing simple changes.”
Energy audits are now also underway at both the water filtration plant and waste water treatment plant in a bid to cut consumption at council’s two biggest power guzzlers.
The Planet Footprint data shows energy consumption actually fell at the water filtration plant by 16.4 per cent in the year to June 2011, which Mr Shaw attributed to “mild climatic conditions and high rainfall experienced in Bathurst over summer 2010-2011”.
At the same time, though, electricity consumption at the waste water treatment plant was up 12.3 per cent to 3164 megawatts, which “is thought to relate to the installation of a new pump and to higher than average rainfall”.