Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece made a persuasive link at the big ARBS event last week between the future success of the city and sustainability.
At the chairman’s breakfast to kick off the event, he also made the connection between the urgent need to electrify the city’s buildings and the heat pumps, reverse cycle airconditioning and related technologies to move the net zero goals closer.
Quoting ARBS CEO Amanda Searle, he pointed out that HVAC kits account for about 40 per cent of a building’s total energy use.
In Melbourne’s 39 square kilometres and denser built form, that number was higher, he said.
“If we are to get to net zero, we need to lean in and when it comes to the transformation of the built environment.”
Rating tools can help. The home energy rating system NatHERS, for instance, has saved more than $1 billion in energy costs.
“Everywhere there is change happening, and that push towards sustainability is strong.”
The City of Melbourne has a target to have all buildings net zero carbon ready by 2040, something that was far from easy and would require a huge retrofitting effort.
The goal was 80 office building transformations a year, but currently, the city was achieving just seven a year.
Incentivising faster take up through the planning system was one tactic – a mix of incentives and regulatory levers would help, he said.
In our interview with futurist and media personality Steve Sammartino, it was interesting to hear a strong argument for regulations as a force for innovation.
Reece said the City’s C376 was shorthand for Town Hall’s environmental and sustainability planning changes that, beyond electrification, would include encouraging green rooftops, walls and foyers, along with a tool to demonstrate achievements.
The City itself was leading by example – it has allocated $5 million in this year’s budget to get buildings off gas and electrified, along with its swimming pools.
