Office energy program expanded after huge boost to productivity 21 June 2016
The Energy Efficiency Council has welcomed today's announcement from the Federal Minister for Energy, Josh Frydenberg, that the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Scheme would be expanded to cover more buildings.
“The Energy Efficiency Council congratulates Josh Frydenberg on expanding the Commercial Building Disclosure Scheme. This will make it easier for people who are buying or leasing offices to find out how efficient and comfortable they are, and will boost our economy’s productivity,” said Luke Menzel, CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council.
In the past, it was hard for people buying or renting offices to find out how efficiently they used energy. This reduced the incentive for building owners to make offices efficient, leaving tenants with higher energy bills and less comfortable workplaces. The CBD Scheme solves this problem by providing people with energy efficiency ratings for offices before they buy or lease them.
The CBD Scheme was introduced in 2010 with support from all the major parties. A recent review by ACIL Allan of the first four years of the program found that it led to office upgrades that delivered over $72 million in energy and carbon savings. These upgrades also improved the comfort of offices, leading to over $160 million in benefits from improved staff productivity.
Today Josh Frydenberg announced changes that will:
- Expand the program – Previously, the Scheme only rated office areas that were larger than 2,000 m². The Scheme will now also cover smaller office areas that are over 1,000 m².
- Reduce unnecessary costs – Small changes are being made will significantly reduce costs for building owners, but still ensure that the Scheme is effective.
“The Commercial Building Disclosure Scheme is win-win-win. It delivers lower energy bills for tenants, more productive staff and increases the value of Australian buildings. Expanding the Scheme is a sensible next step in efforts to make Australia's workplaces more efficient, comfortable and productive," said Luke Menzel.