Industry dismay at budget
The federal government’s abandonment in the budget of tax breaks for green buildings has left the property industry in a state of shock.
The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) said the government had missed an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly and cost effectively.
The Green Building Council of Australia said the move meant Australia’s low carbon economy had taken a step backwards. ”The decision … is extremely disappointing … and bewildering,” said GBCA chief executive Romilly Madew.
Leading quantity surveyors Napier & Blakeley said the about-face showed a lack of real commitment to the carbon reduction agenda. ”Energy efficiency improvements to the existing building stock is the single most cost effective and fastest way to reduce our collective carbon footprint,” said director Alastair Walker. Continue reading
OPINION: It was somewhat surprising that the Climate Commission report, The Critical Decade: Generating A Renewable Australia, published a few days ago, failed to discuss the significant impact that Energy Efficiency improvements can have on reducing carbon emissions.
Almost all focus in the report was applied to the option of pursuing renewable energy as a solution to our reliance on carbon based energy. This is fine for the longer term, but it ignores the commercial reality that a step by step approach is required and indeed will occur.
Plainly, the process of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels must include the reduction in our overall demand for energy. Any decrease in demand for energy will also reduce Peak Demand. Continue reading →