Policy & Projects

Policy & Projects

PARTNERSHIPS

The Energy Efficiency Council prides itself on working collaboratively with government, industry, consumer and environmental groups to achieve the best outcomes for our members, stakeholders and the wider community. In particular we have ongoing strategic relationships with:

If you'd to learn more about any of these initiatives, please contact us via info@eec.org.au and one of our team will be in touch.

THE AFFILIATED INSULATION INDUSTRY COALITION

 

The Affiliated Insulation Industry Coalition (AIIC) is committed to the advancement of the insulation industry and the many health, well-being, financial and environmental benefits it can deliver to Australians. The coalition is product agnostic, and committed to quality, compliance and safety.

The EEC works in partnership with the AIIC to support the achievement of the recommended actions in the Roadmap for Quality Control and Safety in Insulation Installation.

The AIIC has developed recommendations to governments to help make homes healthier and cheaper to run, while accelerating the transition to net zero, and enhancing their climate safety.

The Affiliated Insulation Industry Coalition is:

AIIC-EEC partnership activity:

Related EEC insulation activity

 

 

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC)

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is the peak body of key organisations committed to a sustainable built environment in Australia.

ASBEC’s membership consists of industry and professional associations, non-government organisations and government observers who are involved in the planning, design, delivery and operation of our built environment, and are concerned with the social and environmental impacts of this sector.

ASBEC provides a forum for diverse groups involved in the built environment to gather, find common ground and intelligently discuss contentious issues as well as advocate their own sustainability products, policies and initiatives.

ASBEC is a non-profit volunteer organisation. Members commit their time, resources and energy to developing practical opportunities for a more sustainable built environment.

Click here to learn more about ASBEC.

ASBEC and the Energy Efficiency Council

The Council is a leading member of ASBEC, with the vice presidency of ASBEC held by Council Chief Executive Officer Luke Menzel.

The Chloe Munro Scholarship for Transformational Leadership

We recently lost one of the giants of our sector, Chloe Munro AO. In honour of Chloe's overwhelming contribution to Australia's energy industry, a coalition of leading energy organisations have come together to support women in energy, continuing Chloe's legacy of doing just that.

TThe Chloe Munro Scholarship for Transformational Leadership is delivered in partnership with our official Education Provider, Women & Leadership Australia and focuses on supporting women who are emerging leaders in the fields of clean energy, energy management and carbon abatement.

This year's intake will include places in the Executive Ready course (a seven-month development program for middle to senior leaders) and the Leading Edge program (a four-month development program for early career leaders and managers). The women selected to undertake the courses will be encouraged to establish a strong network to support each other and further build their leadership capability and drive collaboration to continue to change the Australian energy system.

- Applications for this scholarship will open Tuesday 15 August 2023

- Applications close midnight  Sunday 10 September 2023, or earlier if we reach our application limit (the scholarship has been extremely popular in previous years)

- Successful applicants will be announced in October 2023

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are welcomed and encouraged to apply

 

The Chloe Munro Scholarship for Transformational Leadership was announced during an online tribute to Chloe's life. 

Efficient recovery: putting energy efficiency at the heart of Australia’s economic recovery

The multiple benefits of energy efficiency are huge, but realising them requires rapid and decisive action from government, industry and the wider community. Acknowledging this, on Wednesday 1 July 2020, the Australian Council of Social ServicesAustralian Industry Group, the Energy Efficiency Council and the Property Council of Australia held a National Summit on the role of energy efficiency and Australia’s economic recovery.

Energy efficiency and Australia’s economic recovery brought together leaders from politics, business, the community sector and beyond. Together, they highlighted how we must put energy efficiency at the heart of Australia’s economic recovery.

You can watch the recordings of the National Summit here, or watch the highlights below.

The National Summit followed an unprecedented wave of energy efficiency as stimulus proposals from Australian industry, consumer and environmental groups, including:

In addition to detailed calls for energy efficiency as stimulus, the wider Australian and international community has thrown its hat behind the cause:

Since then, industry, consumer and environmental groups have continued to call for energy efficiency as stimulus:

FY21 energy efficiency as stimulus announcements

A series of Government announcements regarding putting energy efficiency at the heart of Australia’s economic recovery have been made during the COVID-impacted FY21 budget season:

Commonwealth Government

ACT Government

NSW Government

South Australian Government

Victorian Government

Enabling the Energy Performance Revolution: Energy Governance and Market Reform

Join our workshops this February

Last year, the Australian Council of Social Service, Ai Group, Energy Efficiency Council, and the Property Council of Australia collectively launched a discussion paper on potential reform to energy governance and market settings.

Our aim is to advance the potential for demand-side measures to lower bills, reduce emissions, improve equity, energy security and business competitiveness, and accelerate the transition to a net zero economy.

This year, we’re following that discussion paper with three online workshops to refine priority reforms for the energy system.

Regsiter for any or all of these upcoming workshops here.

 

Roundtable 1: Energy system planning, coordination and governance frameworks
Wednesday 7 February, 2-4pm AEDT
Hosted by Tennant Reed of Ai Group, we’ll discuss how we coordinate the supply and demand sides of the energy system, and identify what good, holistic system planning and policy coordination might look like. We’ll have an eye out for examples of gaps in connection between suppliers and users of energy, and how the governance of our energy system might evolve to meet the challenges of the energy transition.

 

Roundtable 2: Energy system objectives – what do we want the system to achieve?
When: Thursday 22 February 2-3.30pm AEDT
Hosted by Kellie Caught of the Australian Council of Social Service, this workshop will tackle whether the current National Energy Objectives set the right expectations for the system, and how competing objectives should be balanced.

 

Roundtable 3: Hearing the voices of end-users in the energy system
When: Wednesday 6 March 2-3.30pm AEDT
Hosted by Alex St John of the Energy Efficiency Council, this workshop explores how consumers and businesses are represented, and whether their voices are adequately heard. We’ll also examine whether end-users can shape how the energy system transitions, and whether energy governance and markets can meet their future needs.

 

We’re keen to hear your ideas, and create a vision for a fully integrated energy system that works for consumers, businesses and the community.

 

Joint Discussion Paper

The Australian Council of Social Service, Ai Group, the Energy Efficiency Council, and the Property Council of Australia collectively seek to advance the potential for demand-side measures in the energy system - including energy efficiency, energy management and electrification - to lower bills, reduce emissions, improve equity and energy security, improve business competitiveness, and accelerate the transition to a net zero economy.

Demand-side measures can substantially lower the costs associated with the energy system by reducing the need to overinvest in supply-side infrastructure to meet infrequent periods of high or mismatched demand for energy services. In doing so, they can ease supply chain challenges involved in rolling out new energy infrastructure, which are acute today and likely to remain important over the long term. However, a range of barriers have long reduced Australia’s use of demand-side measures. Historically, low energy prices have blunted incentives to invest in energy efficiency and management, and promotion of demand-side measures was not included in the design of national energy markets.

This discussion paper seeks to inform reforms to energy governance and markets that are crucial to enable greater demand-side participation in the energy system. Demand-side measures are frequently the subject of market failures such as split incentives, information imbalances, externalities, and substantial market power imbalances, which are not adequately addressed by current energy policy and market settings. The issues and reforms canvassed in this discussion paper primarily consider the jurisdictions that compose the National Electricity Market, although some of the proposed reforms will have national application.

Download a .pdf of the discussion paper here.

Download a .docx of the discussion paper.

Webinar

On Tuesday, 1 August, between the authors of this discussion paper discussed some of the issues presented, and canvassed initial areas of discussion and reform. You can watch a recroding of that discussion below.

 

Equal by 30

The EEC is committed to Equal by 30. Equal by 30, a campaign that works to advance the participation of women in the clean energy transition and to close the gender gap, has been endorsed by a host of private sector organisations and 13 national governments, including the Australian Government, which joined the initiative at COP26 in Glasgow in late 2021.

About the campaign

The Equal by 30 campaign is part of the Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment Initiative (C3E), which works to advance the participation of women in the clean energy transition, and close the gender gap.  It is a joint Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and International Energy Agency (IEA) initiative.

Equal by 30 is a public commitment by public and private sector organisations to work towards equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030.

Equal by 30 asks organisations, companies and governments to endorse principles, then take concrete action to accelerate the participation of women in the clean energy sector, and close the gender gap.

The high-level principles

  1. We aim to lead by example, integrating equality principles into our organisation and policies, and will step up our efforts to promote gender diversity activities, in areas of recruitment and career advancement in particular.
  2. We pledge to highlight and support women, and close the gender gap, by promoting actions in our business.
  3. We will provide leadership, and share our experiences and lessons learned on gender diversity programming and initiatives.
  4. We recognise the importance of reporting on progress and will support efforts to improve the collection of gender disaggregated data so that we can and report on our progress in a transparent, open manner.

The EEC's role in achieving Equal by 30

In celebration of International Women’s Day in 2022, we announced our commitment to the Equal by 30 campaign.

The EEC has gender parity within its staff, executive leadership team and Board, and is working on a range of initiatives to support the broader industry in improving diversity, equity and inclusion within their own operations.

To learn more, please contact us via info@eec.org.au and one of our team will be in touch.

IEA EBC in Australia 

The Energy Efficiency Council is supporting the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources with increasing industry, academic and public engagement with the International Energy Agency’s Energy in Buildings and Communities (IEA EBC) Programme in Australia.

On this page you’ll find general information about the IEA EBC Programme, as well as Australia’s relationship with the IEA EBC, including:

What is the International Energy Agency?

The IEA was established as an autonomous body within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974, with the purpose of strengthening co-operation in the vital area of energy policy.

The Technology Collaboration Programme supports the work of the IEA by supporting the work of independent, international groups of experts that enable governments and industries from around the world to lead programmes and projects on a wide range of energy technologies and related issues. The IEA EBC is one such programme.

What is the IEA Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme?

The IEA EBC Programme, created in 1977, carries out research and development efforts towards near-zero energy and carbon emissions in the built environment. Activities under the IEA EBC Programme focus on the integration of energy-efficient and sustainable technologies into healthy buildings and communities.

The IEA EBC Programme has coordinated various research projects associated with energy prediction, monitoring and energy efficiency measures in both new and existing buildings. The results of these projects have provided invaluable information about the energy intensity and operation of buildings and communities, leading to further IEA co-ordinated research.

The IEA EBC vision:

By 2030, near-zero primary energy use and carbon dioxide emissions solutions have been adopted in new buildings and communities, and a wide range of reliable technical solutions have been made available for the existing building stock.

The IEA EBC mission:

To accelerate the transformation of the built environment towards more energy efficient and sustainable buildings and communities, by the development and dissemination of knowledge and technologies through international collaborative research and innovation.

Keen to learn more about the IEA EBC in Australia? Click through to:

Energy Efficiency Council NGO Partners

“Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus.” - Simon Mainwaring, CEO of We First

In other words, partnerships are key to success. This couldn’t hold more true when it comes to successfully navigating Australia’s energy transition. It is for this reason that we have bolstered the Council’s relationship with key industry, consumer and environmental groups that support our vision of building a sophisticated market for energy management products and services that delivers:

  • Healthy and comfortable buildings;
  • Productive and competitive businesses; and
  • An affordable, reliable and sustainable energy system for Australia.

In particular, the Council’s FY20-22 strategy outlines the importance of industry and community coming together to achieve these goals. And consequently, our NGO Partner membership is designed to deepen the partnership between our organisation and other leading Australian non-governmental organisations. This enables us all to leverage our collective expertise and drive outcomes that are in Australia’s economic, environmental and social interests.

While we work with a wide range of industry, consumer and environmental groups on specific policy and advocacy campaigns, we regularly work with the following organisations, whom make up our NGO Partner members:

     

    

           

             

            

The Energy Efficiency Council has been working with all of these organisations on advocacy and sector development for quite some time. Formalising the partnerships that already exist puts us in the best possible position to ensure our advocacy agendas are aligned and our communications strategies are cutting through.

This will enable us to realise the Energy Efficiency Council’s vision, and those of our partners, not just for the benefit of the energy management industry and our members, but for the benefit of all Australian households, businesses and communities.

With time we will build this coalition to include more allied organisations, so if you’d like to know more about the Council’s NGO Partnership initiative, please contact us via info@eec.org.au and one of our team will be in touch

RACE for 2030 CRC

Accelerating the transition to Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy for 2030

The Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy (RACE) for 2030 Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) exists to catalyse lower energy costs and a substantial reduction in carbon emissions.

The research is organised in four programs:

RACE’s research learnings will be driven into the market through market transformation programs to deliver the targets of reducing energy costs, cutting carbon emissions and increasing customer load flexibility to allow increased penetration of renewables in the grid and increased reliability.

To learn more visit racefor2030.com.au

RACE for 2030 and the Energy Efficiency Council

The Energy Efficiency Council is an active partner of the RACE for 2030 CRC, leading and supporting a number of projects, particularly in the RACE for Everyone program. Particular projects include:

RACE B4 flexible demand opportunity assessment

This opportunity assessment identified the largely untapped potential for low-cost flexible demand across industrial and commercial energy end-use applications, however there are a number of barriers and research gaps impeding uptake. The OA has outlined three streams of priority research to guide future research including strategic barriers and solutions, sectoral transformation pathways, and industry partner enablement.

Learn more about the project here.
Read the full report here.


RACE E3 developing the future energy workforce opportunity assessment

The opportunity assessment on developing the future energy workforce undertaken for the RACE for 2030 describes a pathway to understanding the present and future energy workforce and ensuring that the required skills, training and innovation pathways are available to maximise the jobs and opportunities created for Australia.

The opportunity assessment includes a research roadmap for the duration of RACE for 2030 that specifies priority research projects for developing the future energy workforce.

Learn more about the project here.
Read the full report here.

To learn more, please contact us via info@eec.org.au and one of our team will be in touch.