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Climate Change
Action Committee – Thursday 06 April 2017
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1
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CC17.1 Streetlight
LED project
HPERM Ref: D17/98852
Group: Assets
& Works Group
Attachments:
1. Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Proposal
- Endeavour Energy ⇩
Purpose / Summary
This
report outlines advice from Endeavour Energy on an opportunity to implement a
large scale roll out of LED street lighting.
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Recommendation
(Item to be determined under delegated authority)
That Council prepare a business
case which includes the following:
1. Detailed comparisons of proposed
technologies (including lifespan of the technologies);
2. Consideration of projected increases
in energy and service costs;
3. Options for program roll-out,
including timeframe comparisons, and the estimated costs, savings, and
payback periods;
4. Data related to expected carbon
reduction levels for the options presented;
5. An outline of the next steps for
Council, including a summary of procurement options;
6. Comparison of the bulk change compared
with other projects such as the purchase of Green Power, and
7. Summary and recommendations about
external funding opportunities
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Options
1. As recommended prepare a business case
Implications: The LED lighting project business
case will be further developed and only external funding options considered
initially. Resources need to be identified to progress.
2. Propose an alternative
Implications: To be advised
Background
In early 2017 Endeavour
Energy approached Shoalhaven City
Council to consider the implementation of a large-scale LED street lighting
conversion, transitioning existing street lighting service in the city to a
high-efficiency, environmentally friendly, low cost and superior light.
The Shoalhaven
City objectives would be to:
Install LED street
lighting technology to improve the energy efficiency of existing street
lighting. Reduce current carbon emissions and increase Council’s energy
efficiency.
Expected
outcomes through the implementation of this Project are:
· Reduced energy
usage and generate savings in the future
· Reduced carbon
emissions
· Reduced
maintenance requirements
According to the
Australian Street Lighting Strategy, street lighting is the single largest
source of greenhouse gas emissions from local
government. Nationally, the energy costs of public lighting in
Australia exceeds $125 million and the greenhouse gas emissions account for
between 30-60% of local government’s greenhouse gas emissions see
following link;
http://energyrating.gov.au/sites/new.energyrating/files/documents/Draft-streetlight-Strategy_0.pdf
If supported the
Shoalhaven City LED (Light Emitting Diode) Street Lighting Project has the
ability to convert up to 6,200 traditional street lights (mercury vapour) into
energy efficient LED technology. This represents approximately
$240,000 in savings per annum after the initial pay-back period of approximately
8 years, based on current lighting costs. Changing the street lighting fleet
will result in reducing energy consumption and less carbon emissions being
released into the atmosphere.
Council staff
may undertake further investigation and report back on the opportunities of
alternative suppliers, future tariffs, pay-back periods and potential funding
options for the capital program.
Community Engagement
The community will benefit in
the long term with reduced costs for the City and improved lighting, no
consultation has been undertaken to date.
Financial Implications
This project
represents approximately $240,000 in savings per annum after the initial
pay-back period of approximately 8 years, based on current lighting costs. A
business case would detail this further. The intial planning resource needs to
be considered.
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Climate Change
Action Committee – Thursday 06 April 2017
Page
14
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CC17.2 Planning
and Development Services - Sustainability Status Report
HPERM Ref: D17/24647
Group: Planning
Environment & Development Group
Section: Environmental
Services
Purpose / Summary
To outline the sustainability
and climate change adaptation initiatives that are currently active or have
occurred in the recent past led by the Planning and Development Services
Group.
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Recommendation (Item to be determined
under delegated authority)
That the Committee accept the
sustainability status report for information.
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Options
1. That Council accept the sustainability
status report from the Planning and Development Services Group for information.
Implications: This report provides Councillors with
a baseline of what the organisation is currently doing with regards to
sustainability. It provides an accurate picture of what is possible
within the current budgetary constraints.
2. Council request more detailed
information on specific sustainability activities.
3. Council propose an alternative
recommendation.
Background
Sustainability is essentially development that doesn’t
compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainability can increase revenue, reduce energy expenses, reduce waste
expenses, reduce materials and water expenses, increase employee productivity,
reduce hiring and attrition expenses, and reduce strategic and operational
risks
Council has a lot of information on sustainability on its
webpage at http://shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/Environment/Sustainability.
This details many of the projects and initiatives the organisation has
undertaken and offers guidance to residents. In 2011-2015 Council
developed and implemented a Sustainability Action Plan which listed prioritised
activities for investment. These activities were funded through a Waste
Levy which is no longer available. Examples of the types of initiatives
the Group manages in the absence of this funding stream are listed below.
Jellybean Park Misting Sculpture
Grant Funding provided via the NSW Environmental Trust
enabled Council to design an evaporative cooling feature that could be
incorporated into the urban revitalisation of Egan’s Lane park.
The goal was to address urban heat effects as it is
predicted that Nowra will experience an additional 1-5 hot days per year in the
near future and 5-10 extra hot days by 2070.
Water
quality monitoring
Council has a
new online web site called Aqua Data which has been designed to improve the
communication of water quality monitoring results to the community as well as
assist consideration of water quality data within the catchment planning and
catchment management decision making process.
Aqua Data displays water quality test results within just a
couple of days of the completed laboratory analysis. Users are able to navigate
to any monitoring site using an interactive map, view result tables and graphs
on-screen and even download or print reports showing results from the present
to several years ago.
Water quality monitoring buoys have been installed into the
Shoalhaven River at Shoalhaven Heads and in Broughton Creek. These buoys
contain meters that monitor physiochemical parameters such as temperature, pH,
salinity and oxygen levels in real time allowing us and the general public to
know what is happening in the water at these locations. The results of this
monitoring are streamed live to the Aqua Data portal for Council and the
community to view.
Council also monitors the rivers, estuaries and lakes’
water quality twice a year across all 22 catchments. This monitoring program
has been consistently going since 1990’s.
Over the summer months Beach Watch water quality monitoring
is carried out at 15 selected beaches each week from Merry Beach in the south
to Shoalhaven Heads in the north. The monitoring results are used to determine
a water quality star rating, based on bacterial assessment categories used in
the National Health and Medical Research Council (2008) Guidelines, for each
beach.
Bushcare:
The Bushcare program encourages community stewardship of
natural areas and supports residents to become actively involved in improving
biodiversity conservation, controlling pest plants and animals and improving
water quality. It provides a key social service by connecting communities to
their environment. Currently there are 70 Bushcare Groups and a total of 663
volunteers operating across the Shoalhaven on Council owned or managed land.
Since July 2005 Shoalhaven Bushcare Groups have contributed 96,229 hours of
labour towards maintaining and restoring ecological function of the cities
natural areas. This is an equivalent financial contribution of $2,886,870.
Environmental education and mentoring
The Environmental Services Section responds to numerous
requests for presentations and sessions for schools and community groups.
For example, last year we ran sessions for 400 students from Trinity Grammar at
their new field station in Woollamia. We also actively participate in
mentoring of local high school students and host a number of work experience
students from local schools and universities. We’ve been actively
partnering with other organisations to deliver
environmental education including Taronga
Zoo and Keep Australia Beautiful campaign.
Environmental Services continues to develop partnerships
with universities. One example is the ongoing partnership with Griffith
University.
This has enabled Council to facilitate the development of a
Strategic Action Plan for Sussex Inlet by the Sussex Inlet community, which
aims to improve this coastal communities'
resilience and adaptation to natural hazards through planning.
A partnership with Deakin University led to the development
of a Carbon Management Framework. This was never implemented but remains a
useful resource.
Staff host numerous tree planting days in partnership with
local schools and community groups and run an annual Threatened Species Day
competition with primary schools across the Shoalhaven LGA.
On-site sewage management program
This program ensures that systems are operated efficiently
and in accordance with public health and environmental requirements. The
program also ensures that effluent is treated and managed on each property and
not released into the surrounding catchment.
Adaptation
In 2012 a Climate Change Adaptation Plan was endorsed by
Council. This plan was linked to actions in the Community Strategic Plan
and Delivery program. This is now outdated. Council will need to
determine what goals they want to set for this area prior to drafting any new
plans.
Noxious weeds
Implementing a process to control weeds on Council owned or
managed land using the minimum amount of chemicals possible.
Natural area management
Current levels of tourism are challenging from an asset
management perspective. The costs of managing the impacts of high levels
of usage are becoming significant. For example, more maintenance, signage
and rubbish collections are regularly required. While tourism is
necessary for the area to prosper, the sustainability of managing our reserves
needs to be factored in and considered.
A range of sustainability measures are being put in place to
reduce the impacts of human use and changing weather patterns on our sensitive
coastal environment. Examples include: consolidation of beach accesses,
replacing rock gabions with innovative recycled alternatives that are more
sympathetic to the terrain and bush regeneration activities.
BASIX
“The Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) has been in
operation in New South Wales since 1 July 2004. The system aims to
deliver a 40% reduction for water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as
well as minimum performance levels for the thermal comfort of the building.
BASIX’s is implemented under the Environmental
Planning and Assessment Act and applies to all residential dwelling types where
the contract price is $50,000 or more. It also relates to swimming pools
or spas where the combined capacity is greater than 40,000 litres.
BASIX’s commitments are required for both development application
assessments and complying development certificates.
In 2016, a total of 1940 applications were submitting in the
Shoalhaven area (Note: - this includes Council issued development applications
and all complying development certificates). Of this figure, a total of
985 applications required a BASIX certificate and this represents 51% of all
applications. This is having a positive impact on reaching the targets.
Paper saving initiatives
Many standard procedures and
services are now provided by email. For example: providing Section
149/dwelling entitlement certificates via email.
Conclusion:
A range of meaningful sustainability related community
focused projects and measures are carried out by PDS. These are performed in an
opportunistic ad hoc way as there is no formal resource to coordinate this
effort. Without a dedicated budget it is difficult to expand this area
without impacting on core operations.
Financial Implications
More intense efforts to increase
Councils sustainability activities will require resourcing. For example,
adaptation actions require planning and funding. Council needs to set its
priorities and have these reflected in the Delivery Program.
