Energy Efficiency Council - Efficiency Providers | Energy Users | Australia

Efficiency Action – July 2017

The Energy Efficiency Council's monthly e-newsletter, exclusively for EEC Members.

CEO welcome

In today’s policy update, I spend some time on the Queensland Government’s new Climate Transition Strategy, which includes a series of commitments around energy efficiency policy and programs, including development of a new energy efficiency strategy for the state.

There is an emerging 'sensible centre' when it comes to energy efficiency policy at the state level in Australia. It has three key components:

• Government leadership via a program to upgrade the energy efficiency of its own operations
• An energy efficiency scheme to help correct the supply side bias in our energy market
• Targeted outreach and support for businesses to improve their own efficiency.

The Queensland Government’s new Strategy includes commitments in each of these areas. Of course, there is a lot more to comprehensive and effective energy efficiency policy, like minimum standards, and effective support for vulnerable households. However, these three areas have become 'table stakes' for states wishing to be taken seriously in energy efficiency policy.

NSW, Victoria, South Australia have all met this threshold over the last couple of years. This month Queensland took a step towards meeting it as well.

Regards,

Luke Menzel, CEO, Energy Efficiency Council

Follow Luke on Twitter, or connect on LinkedIn.

Efficiency Action - July 2017

Contents

July 2017 policy round up

Sharing M&V best practice in our region

National Energy Efficiency Awards 2017 - Nominations now open!

Energy Efficiency Expo and Seminar

Upcoming EEC training programs

Save The Date - National Energy Efficiency Conference 2017

Industry Events

Policy round up – July 2017

Energy market reform

The Finkel Review has continued to dominate the energy debate over the last month. The discussion came to a head at the COAG Energy Council meeting held on 14 July in Brisbane.

I attended the Stakeholder Roundtable held in Brisbane on the 13 July, the night before energy ministers met formally. In my remarks, I delivered a clear message to the ministers and regulators present: the Finkel Review’s recommendations, are welcome, particularly on demand response. However, there is much more that can and should be done to promote energy efficiency and the broader demand side opportunity.

I pointed to the CSIRO's Low Emissions Technology Roadmap – also released last month – which modelled the costs of various approaches to transitioning our energy system over the next fifteen years. The report included two scenarios that modelled ramping up our ambition and doubling Australia's energy productivity by 2030.

In particular, I pointed out that ambitious energy productivity:

• Left householders with lower energy bills than under any other scenario
• Resulted in lower wholesale prices, because less expenditure is needed on new generation assets
• Gave the energy sector more time to transition to lower carbon forms of generation.

The Finkel Review was very positive about the role of energy efficiency; however, it did not make detailed recommendations for ramping up our collective efforts on this front. This is not surprising given the scope and timeline of the Review, however I made the point that it underlines the need for governments around the country to put a genuine process in place that drives ambitious improvements.

Image: State and Federal Energy Ministers at the COAG Energy Council meeting - 14 July 2017

At their meeting the next day, Australia’s energy ministers endorsed 49 of the Finkel Review’s 50 recommendations – all save the Clean Energy Target, which has become a proxy for ideological battles on the Coalition backbench.

The 49 recommendations that were approved include asking the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) to make a recommendation on how to bring demand response into the wholesale electricity market. The new rule needs to be in place for the summer of 2018-19. AEMO and ARENA’s Demand Response Pilot – which in June was expanded to include NSW as well as South Australia and Victoria – will act as a testing ground for the rule change.

The EEC met with the head of new head of AEMO, Audrey Zibelman, in July and is scheduled to meet again in August to discuss demand response and the broader energy market reform agenda.

Queensland Climate Transition Strategy

In mid-July, the Queensland Government’s released its new Climate Transition Strategy. The Strategy includes a strong focus on energy efficiency, setting out plans to:

• Develop and implement a dedicated energy efficiency strategy for Queensland
• Lead by example by reducing carbon emissions from government facilities
• Explore establishing an energy efficiency certificate scheme, similar to those that exist in NSW, Victoria and South Australia
• Support small to medium enterprises to improve their energy efficiency.

The detail on these initiatives is yet to be developed, and programs are unlikely to be rolled out until following the next state election (assuming a Labor victory).

We have been doing a significant amount of advocacy around government energy efficiency and certificate schemes in Queensland, so this in-principal commitment to these areas is a significant step forward.

The EEC met with the Queensland energy and environment minister’s offices following the strategy’s release, and has subsequently met with the departmental teams developing the Strategy. More meetings are slated for August.

Other states

The Victorian Government continues to delay the release of their Energy Efficiency and Productivity Strategy, instead drip-feeding elements of the strategy over time. Last week, the Government announced an additional $2.5 million of funding for Victorian industrial energy users to improve gas efficiency.

The NSW energy efficiency strategy is likewise delayed, albeit by months rather than years. The EEC understands that we can expect an announcement soon. The NSW budget confirmed the Government’s commitment of $200 million over five years to demand side policy and programs.

Government efficiency programs

NSW Treasury recently approved approximately a large, multi-million-dollar tranche of funding for government efficiency projects, much of which has been stalled in government approval processes for almost a year.

While some of this delay is due to the ministerial reshuffle that took place in January, cumbersome government processes also played a role. The EEC is strongly lobbying to streamline approval processes to ensure that delays of this length don’t happen again.

The NSW Government also announced that when it refreshes its panel in 2018 it will require all companies that provide EPC services to employ a certified professional. This is a long awaited and welcome development for the Scheme.

Certificate schemes report

The EEC is commissioning a report on the future of Australia's certificate schemes, as a way of strengthening current schemes and underpinning advocacy around expansion of the schemes to other states. The report will canvas:

• Harmonisation through the establishment of a national body for product registration and methodology development
• Improved and streamlined compliance processes
• The role of training and accreditation
• Using the schemes for market transformation and the next generation of products.

This report is timely, given:

• Minister Frydenberg's recent indication that he is not interested in setting up a national scheme, but is interested in supporting harmonisation and the extension of schemes to other states
• The news that Queensland is actively considering the creation of a scheme.

The report is slated for release in October; EEC members will have the opportunity to comment on the initial draft soon.

Sharing M&V best practice in our region

In June 2017, I was honoured to be invited to speak at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) workshop on ‘Best Practices for M&V’ in Beijing, China.

Attracting delegates from across the APEC region, the workshop was designed to showcase why Measurement & Verification (M&V) is a crucial part of energy efficiency projects, and one that EEC has been advocating for many years – it’s the tool that gives energy efficiency customers the confidence that they’ve received what they paid for.

The EEC has been delivering M&V training and accreditation in partnership with the Efficiency Valuation Organisation (EVO) and the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) since 2012, and have just ticked over 250 Certified Measurement & Verification Professionals (CMVPs). That means in Australia we’re better placed than ever to deliver high quality M&V and that’s a great thing for the reputation of our sector. This is reflected by the fact that a number of government jurisdictions in Australia are utilising M&V protocol in their white certificate and government efficiency schemes.

Image: APEC M&V workshop delegates

I went to Beijing keen to tell our good news story, and it was well received. However, a key theme of the workshop is that M&V best practices cannot be discussed in isolation. Like so many of the specialised skills delivered by the energy efficiency sector, M&V is one part of the broader energy management conversation.

The message from workshop delegates was that, while governments in our region are well placed to lead on energy efficiency, driving private sector investment is critical if we’re going to meet our respective national and global targets for energy productivity and emissions reduction.

This is a familiar challenge from an Australian perspective. The private sector often views energy efficiency in general and M&V in particular as intimidating, technical, costly optional-extras when compared to other technologies – one could call this the ‘solar is simple’ view. The universal nature of this challenge was highlighted for me during a technical tour arranged for workshop delegates, where we were taken to see a state of the art solar array – interesting, but not especially relevant to the topic of our workshop!

The fact that these barriers are common across nations and cultures could be viewed as depressing. However, it opens up the opportunity for sharing the knowledge we have developed, and learning from our counterparts overseas. My trip – and Head of Policy Rob Murray-Leach’s recent study tour of North America, Europe and Japan – are part of an effort to strengthen these international connections so that the EEC can leverage international problem solving to break down barriers here in Australia.

The learnings from this trip are feeding into the new advanced measurement and verification training programs we have under development. Furthermore, there is interest in using the programs we develop here overseas. It’s an exciting time, and great to deepen the EEC’s international connections for the benefit of EEC members and the broader Australian sector.

Thank you to my hosts at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organisation for this fantastic opportunity.

National Energy Efficiency Awards 2017 - Nominations now open!

Presented by the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC) and now in its sixth year running, the National Energy Efficiency Awards are Australia's highest profile honours dedicated to excellence in energy efficiency.

The National Energy Efficiency Awards 2017 will recognise and celebrate excellence in energy efficiency, cogeneration and demand management. The Energy Efficiency Council invites nominations for projects, colleagues and clients across 11 categories that demonstrate outstanding achievement in performance, leadership and innovation.

Nominations are now open for the following award categories:

• Best Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Project - below 2,000 SQM
• Best Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Project - above 2,000 SQM
• Best Industrial Energy Efficiency Project
• Best Residential Energy Efficiency Project
• Best Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Energy Efficiency Project
• Best ‘Smart Energy’ Project – for cogeneration, district energy, demand response and utility programs.
• Best Innovation in Energy Efficiency- for new products such as lighting & software.
• Best Energy Saving Program - for programs run by governments, NGOs or similar.
• Leading Energy User - presented in partnership with EUAA this award recognises excellence in energy management.
• Young Energy Efficiency Professional 2017 - for individuals under 35 who have contributed to energy efficiency through advocacy, research, education or projects.
• Energy Efficiency Champion 2017 - for individuals who have advanced the energy efficiency sector through outstanding advocacy, research, education or projects.

View further information on each category, including the judging criteria, by clicking on the links above.

Nominations close at 5pm on Thursday 31 August 2017.

The winners of the National Energy Efficiency Awards 2017 will be unveiled at a memorable Gala Dinner on Monday 20 November at Pullman Melbourne Albert Park, as part of the National Energy Efficiency Conference 2017.

Need inspiration? Click here to learn about previous winners that were recognised for their efforts in energy efficiency.

If you have any further questions regarding the National Energy Efficiency Awards, please feel free to contact me on 03 8327 8425 or daniela.vrljic@eec.org.au

Energy Efficiency Expo and Seminar

The Energy Efficiency Council will be exhibiting at the Energy Efficiency Expo and Seminar on Wednesday 9 August 2017, at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

The Seminar will be officially opened by Premier Jay Weatherill MP, followed by an address by City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese.

South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy CEO Rebecca Knol will speak about the establishment of a joint electricity purchasing group with 27 South Australian businesses.

Energy costs are a key challenge for businesses today and ensuring that businesses and buildings are more energy efficient can help reduce costs and benefit the environment.

The Seminar program will provide the latest information on how to achieve energy savings and the expo offers you the chance to speak with industry experts.

The expo is open to everyone and will particularly benefit business and building owners, facility managers, operation managers, property managers and businesses seeking to implement recommendations from energy productivity audits, including how these can be financed.

The Energy Efficiency Expo and Seminar is hosted by the Industry Capability Network South Australia and the Department of State Development.

Event details

Date: Wednesday 9 August 2017

Venue: Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide 

Time: Exhibition 7:30am to 4:00pm

Presentations: 8:45am to 10:45am and 2:00pm to 3:00pm

Cost: $35 per person, includes catering 

RSVP by: 4 August 2017 

Enquiries to: dsd.events@sa.gov.au 

Click here to register for the Seminar.

Upcoming EEC training programs

NEW WORKSHOP! - Energy Measurement & Metering

Melbourne, 16 October 2017

Sydney, 5 December 2017

Do you measure energy as part of energy auditing or measurement and verification? This one-day workshop explores electricity, gas, flow and thermal metering and measurement.

You will receive introductory guidance on meter selection, installation, calibration, data collection and validation. Meter accuracy will be discussed, along with techniques for reducing the costs of measurements, and developing a metering plan in line with your customer's budget.

Techniques for quickly manipulating data files will also be presented, along with guidance on data collection intervals.

Certified Measurement & Verification Professional

Melbourne, 13-15 September 2017

With the introduction of project based methodologies into the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target scheme, there's never been a better time to gain an understanding of measurement and verification. Join us in Melbourne for this 2.5 day workshop, followed by a 4 hour examination for those who wish to achieve CMVP status.

Energy Auditing to the Australian Standard

Sydney, 31 October 2017

Accurate and consistent energy auditing is critical to the uptake and quality of energy efficiency projects, as it is often used as the basis for business case justification, project design, and as a baseline to measure post-upgrade savings. Ensure your energy audits are being delivered to the Australian Standard when you join us for this one day workshop in Sydney.

For more information contact us via email training@eec.org.au or phone 03 8327 8422.

Save The Date - National Energy Efficiency Conference 2017

Industry Events

Digitalize 2017

Wednesday 30 August 2017, Sheraton on the Park, Sydney

Click here to register for the Digitalize 2017

Where digitalization meets real-world application in energy, infrastructure, industry and the workforce.

Software, sensors, data analytics and network technologies are the means through which Australian companies can increase efficiency and productivity, and reduce costs. Early adopters across diverse industries are using ingenuity to gain a competitive advantage by adapting intelligent tools.

Lots of people and companies are talking about digitalization - but how do we make it real?

Digitalize 2017 will explore Australia’s digital future across four themes workforce, infrastructure, energy and industry.

All-Energy Australia 2017

Wednesday 11 – Thursday 12 October 2017, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Click here to register for free!

All-Energy Australia is excited to launch the free-to-attend Conference program for 2017. This full two-day program (11-12 October) features 6 different Conference streams and over 80 hours of learning across the 2 days.

Held in partnership with the Clean Energy Council, the 2017 program will showcase expert opinions from more than 120 speakers including James Seymour, General Manager, New Energy Services at Jemena, RES’ Tanya Jackson, Schneider Electric’s Kim Kreutz, Tesla Energy’s Lara Olsen, and the Essential Services Commission’s James Clinch.