Sydney proceeds with retrofits despite federal budget cuts

(photo credit: Philip Flores)

Sydney has proceeded with a A$6.9 million (US$6.83 million) programme to improve the energy-efficiency of 45 landmark buildings in its central business district despite a federal government decision in early May to drop the green building incentive programme from this year’s federal budget.

Head of sustainability for Colliers International, Simon Cox, believes that the federal government’s move to scrap the tax break incentive for green building “will take A$1 billion of encouragement and potential refurbishment work out of the industry, so it has downstream impacts, on not just energy consumption and carbon output but employment and business generation.”

Property Council of Australia chief executive Peter Verwer says the incentive “would have leveraged up to A$7 of private sector spending for every dollar of government funding.” He points out that, unlike many other government programmes, this tax break incentive was only to be paid upon delivery of independently-certified greenhouse gas abatement.

According to mayor Clover Moore, Sydney’s two-year resource-saving retrofitting project would include Town Hall House, Customs House, pools, community centres, libraries and car parks across the city. To date, energy-inefficient lights were being replaced at Customs House, while heating and air-conditioning systems at Sydney Town Hall, Ultimo Community Centre and Victoria Park Pool were being upgraded. This upgrade to the assets is expected to save more than A$1 million in water and energy bills each year. (Source: Sydney Morning Herald)