News
Media Release, 26 July 2010
Tax Breaks for Green Buildings is Welcomed by ASBEC
The Gillard Government’s election commitment to tax breaks for green buildings has been welcomed by Australia’s sustainable building peak body.
ASBEC President the Hon. Tom Roper said that “this new billion dollar incentive for building owners will see green retrofits for commercial buildings be implemented across the country.”
“Buildings will become more energy efficient, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, boost green jobs and make them more comfortable and healthy for the workforce.”
He said that ASBEC’s recently released “Second Plank Update”argued strongly for accelerated green depreciation, a white certificate scheme and direct Government assistance.
“The work by our consultants, Allens Consulting Group, demonstrated that more than 46Mt of CO2 emissions could be cut through building efficiency alone – the biggest and speediest cut available.”
“The timing of the scheme’s introduction, July 1 2011, would allow building owners and industry to gear up for the best and more valuable projects. It will also boost green employment over the next decade.”
Mr Roper said that ASBEC and its members looked forward to accepting the Prime Minister’s offer of consultation to make sure it was the best scheme possible.
Contact: Tom Roper: 0407 060 328
ASBEC - Press Release
Australian Conservation Foundation - press release
Green Building Council of Australia - press release
Energy Efficiency Council - press release
Property Council of Australia - press release
Second Plank Update Report, 16 June 2010
A greener building sector can make a real difference to the climate change mitigation challenge says new report. The report updates the findings from ASBEC’s The Second Plank Report: Building a Low Carbon Economy with Energy Efficient Buildings, which was released in September 2008.
The update report provides an economic analysis of the potential role the building sector can play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through additional energy efficiency measures. It takes into account the Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET), policy measures and programs, and forecasts energy efficiency savings under both a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and a non-CPRS scenario. Importantly, the report shows that under both scenarios there are significant additional GHG savings that can be made.
The key findings in the report include:
1. Under a CPRS, additional energy efficiency measures would achieve a further reduction of 33.2 megatonnes of emissions
2. In the absence of a CPRS, additional energy efficiency measures would realise a reduction of 46.7 megatonnes of emissions. (This is a larger figure because the CPRS would achieve some of the energy efficiency potential abatement). This figure represents a reduction of approximately 5.5% of Australia’s total GHG.
Please click here for details.
Cities for the Future Report, 23 February 2010
By 2041, Australia's cities will experience significant increases in traffic congestion, people will spend more time travelling, and cars will generate more greenhouse gas emissions, according to ASBEC's new study.
The report Cities for the Future: Baseline report and key issues, was commissioned by ASBEC and released at the Green Cities 2010 conference in Melbourne. The report paints a bleak future where transport-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) increase by almost 50 percent and travel times increase by 25 percent.
"The report is a clarion call to our federal, state and local governments that swift, decisive action is required to deliver better transport systems in Australia's cities," says ASBEC president, Tom Roper.
Task group Chair and Green Building Council Australia chief executive, Romilly Madew, says the analysis "clearly shows that, without action to change the way people live, work and play in our cities, our transport challenges will only get worse."
Cities for the Future is the first of a four-stage project to measure the links between GHG from urban transport and land use within Australian cities.
Please click here for further details.
Media Release, 22 September 2008
Building sector can cut carbon permit price by 14 per cent
Australia's building sector could cut the projected price of carbon trading permits by 14 per cent – and generate annual savings of $38 billion by 2050 – with energy efficiency measures that complement the federal government's proposed carbon pollution reduction scheme (CPRS), says a new report commissioned by a cross section of peak building industry and environment groups.
'The Second Plank – Building a Low Carbon Economy with Energy Efficient Buildings' report was commissioned by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council's (ASBEC) Climate Change Task Group in response to the CPRS Green Paper. The report is being released in Melbourne today to coincide with the World Sustainable Building conference.
The ASBEC Climate Change Task Group comprises representatives from the Australian Institute of Architects, the Green Building Council of Australia, the Planning Institute of Australia, the Property Council of Australia, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, the Australian Conservation Foundation the Australasian Energy Performance Contracting Association, the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia, Building Products Innovation Council and the Facility Management Association of Australia.
The report provides an economic analysis of the greater benefits that energy efficiency measures for buildings can deliver, with a policy mix offering better incentives for the building sector to invest more resources to increase energy efficiency.
Under the government's proposed CPRS, the building sector is set to cut emissions by around 8 million tonnes per year, in response to higher energy costs. The Second Plank report demonstrates emissions could be reduced by up to an additional 52 million tonnes per year by 2030 by adopting three key policies to complement the 'cap and trade' scheme:
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A national White Certificate Scheme with energy efficiency as a tradable asset
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‘Green depreciation’ for accelerated depreciation allowances for capital expenditure on energy efficient refurbishments to existing commercial buildings
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Publicly-funded energy efficiency retrofits for residential and commercial buildings.
Specific regulatory measures are also needed, including enhancement of the Minimum Energy Performance Standards for appliances and setting higher standards for building design and energy efficiency in the National Building Code.
Download The second plank – building a low carbon economy with energy efficient buildings
Download Summary ASBEC @ work 2nd plank report
Joint CEO Statement
As industry and community leaders representing a cross section of the built environment we believe that the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme objectives can be enhanced through investment in energy efficiency measures in the building sector.
Building a Low Carbon Economy with Energy Efficient Buildings: Joint CEO Statement
Media Release, 15 November 2007
Building Sector welcomes new policy focus on commercial energy efficiency
The building sector today welcomed Labor’s policy campaign announcement focussing on improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings as a key component of Australia’s climate change response.
ASBEC President Caroline Pidcock said:
“It is very pleasing to see detailed measures announced for energy efficiency that pick up and build upon the findings of recent research commissioned by ASBEC’s Climate Change Task Force and conducted by the Centre for International Economics.
“This research, released in September 2007, showed that the building sector could cut its share of greenhouse gas emissions by more than a third, making it $ 38 billion easier to achieve at least a 60 per cent reduction in Australia’s emissions.”
The CIE report was endorsed by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, Property Council of Australia, Planning Institute of Australia, Green Building Council of Australia, CIBSE, Clean Energy Council and Australian Conservation Foundation.
The building sector is responsible for almost a quarter, or 23 per cent, of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions but there is huge potential to make our buildings more energy efficient. The results indicate greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment will more than double by 2050 if we do not address energy use in buildings. However, the report shows that electricity use in residential and commercial buildings can be cost effectively halved by 2030, and reduced by more than 70 per cent by 2050 through energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency gains delivered by the building sector can reduce the costs of GHG abatement (cost per tonne of abatement) for all sectors by nearly 14 per cent by 2050. This would be roughly equivalent to savings of $38 billion per annum to achieve the 60% reductions in GHG emissions identified by the Business Round Table among many others, bringing benefits to all Australians.”
Media Release Monday 16 September 2007
Building Sector Steps Up to Climate Challenge: New Report
The building sector could cut its share of greenhouse gas emissions by more than a third, making it $ 38 billion easier to achieve at least a 60 per cent reduction in Australia’s emissions, says a new report commissioned by a cross section of building industry and environment groups.
The study conducted by the Centre for International Economics was commissioned by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) climate change task force. Releasing a joint statement to endorse the research findings today are the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, Property Council of Australia, Planning Institute of Australia, Green Building Council of Australia, CIBSE, Clean Energy Council and Australian Conservation Foundation.
