Energy cuts to tackle climate

AUSTRALIANS would need to cut their energy use by an average of 16 per cent over the next decade under an ambitious proposal before the Gillard government to lift energy efficiency and help tackle climate change.

Expert advice to the government, obtained by The Age, recommends boosting the nation’s energy efficiency by 30 per cent by 2020 to lift economic productivity and help Australia move to a low-carbon future.

But the report emphasises Australia needs a carbon price to do the ”heavy lifting” to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Ms Gillard said recent electricity price rises were being driven in part by uncertainty over the issue. ”Many experts will tell you that one of the problems with electricity generation is uncertainty about pricing carbon preventing people from making long-term investment – that puts upward pressure on prices,” she said. Climate Minister Greg Combet also signalled that putting a price on carbon would remain the first priority. ”We believe that the most efficient and cost effective way to achieve reductions in carbon pollution is through a price on carbon.”

The report of the energy efficiency task group proposes an extensive energy savings plan and measures covering transport, buildings, energy markets and appliance efficiency standards.

To get there, the government would introduce a national energy savings initiative. Households and businesses would earn credits for taking energy saving steps, such as buying more efficient fridges, installing energy efficient lighting or heating and cooling systems, and could sell the credits to energy companies.

The report estimates a national energy savings scheme would cut average household power bills by between $87 and $180 a year, compared with what they would otherwise be.

The task group found energy efficiency was an ”untapped resource” that could both boost productivity and help Australia move to a cleaner future.

Yet while other countries were already finding competitive advantages by improving energy use, Australia was falling behind. Its energy efficiency policies had been piecemeal, poorly designed and at times costly without leading to any improvement. State efficiency programs – including a Victorian Energy Efficient Target (VEET) has recently been doubled to a target of saving 5.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year – would be swallowed into the national program.

“A positive impact on the environment”

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What are the goals and benefits of green energy efficient technology?

• Low energy consumption
• Lower carbon footprint for electrical devices
• Reduced greenhouse gases (less carbon dioxide output into the atmosphere)
• Lower resource burden on the planet

Source : The Melbourne Age, October 8, 2010