Tech-savvy kits for sustainability

NEW sustainability kits have been launched at the Bendigo Library and are aimed at helping households reduce their electricity consumption and make greener choices.

Four kits include a thermal image camera, power usage meter and a book on energy efficiency, and are available to borrow for up to three weeks at a time.

Library services officer Geordie Walker said he hoped the equipment would create more awareness about practicing sustainability around the home.

“It was about trying to get more options for sustainability in people’s hands,” he said.

“A lot of sustainability, you feel like it’s beyond what you can do on a personal level, so this is really about getting that in people’s hands, in their home and for free.”

The thermal image camera can be used to detect draughts coming from windows and doors, while the power usage meter can give people information on the energy consumption of a device and breakdowns of cost per year or per hour.

The initiative was funded by the City of Greater Bendigo and follows a successful trial of similar kits in Mount Alexander Shire.

“They were definitely very well taken up. We know that there’s definitely interest in it,” Mr Walker said.

“If people have in the back of their minds how much energy something is consuming, it helps them think about it a bit more. It’s like ‘I might switch that off’ or ‘I might not use that as much’.

“Particularly with the thermal image camera, you can go round your home, you can get new seals on all your windows and you’re going to use much less electricity in winter trying to keep your house warm.”