Aged care facilities are now able to get an immediate start towards saving an average $25,000 a year through a practical toolkit developed to help the sector increase its energy efficiency, NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker said today.
Ms Parker said that energy audits in 15 aged care facilities show that up to 15 per cent of electricity and 18 per cent of gas use can be saved.
The Energy Saver Aged Care Toolkit developed by the Office of Environment and Heritage’s Sustainability Advantage Program channels the common information and recommendations from those 15 audits into a workbook of checklists and practical tips.
Ms Parker will launch the toolkit at a sustainability forum for the aged care sector in Sydney on Wednesday August 22 2012.
“Like all smart businesses, aged care facilities are looking to cut energy costs, while keeping the comfort of residents as the highest priority,” Ms Parker said.
“The toolkit details the most cost-effective energy savings projects for lighting, heating and cooling, hot water use and kitchens and laundries in aged care settings. Tips for how to save even more through equipment maintenance, effective purchasing and good housekeeping are also included.”
Ms Parker encouraged businesses to fast-track their energy efficiency projects.
“The sooner energy efficiency projects are in place, the more money you will save and the more our environment will benefit. The time it takes for a project to pay for itself will go down as energy prices go up.”
In NSW there are more than 930 facilities offering 62,000 residential places. They use some 2.6 million gigajoules of energy per year – around one third of the energy used by the aged care sector in Australia.
For an energy efficiency checklist visit the site here.