Shire talks up the positives of saving energy

THE Surf Coast Shire is encouraging residents to get behind its new Powered by Positive program.

An initiative of the shire’s Renewable Energy Task Force, the program educates locals about the small steps they could take in their daily lives to reduce overall energy use and save money on energy bills.

“While climate change is a global issue, everyday local actions – like switching off lights and blocking draughts – can make a big difference,” task force chair Scott Ferraro said.

“The Powered by Positive website (poweredbypositive.com.au) contains a wealth of information about how people can use less energy and even make their own – for example, by switching to solar energy.

“Several case studies illustrate how easy it is to get started, backed up by links to local suppliers and information about available funding options, along with the simple steps anyone can put in place around the home.

The council established the Renewable Energy Task Force to work in partnership with community and industry representatives to drive the use of renewables and achieve 25 percent renewable energy consumption across the shire by 2020.

“In the current Council Plan, Council has articulated our aspiration for Surf Coast to be a state leader in the take up of renewable energy,” shire Mayor Rose Hodge said.

“To this end, Council has recently fitted out another five of our facilities with solar panels, which makes a total of 16 Council facilities now powered by solar.

“We’re also in the process of creating a renewable energy microgrid between the Council offices, Grant Pavilion and the Kurrambee Myaring Community Centre.

“To date, solar panels have been installed on all three buildings along with a Tesla Powerwall at the community centre. The three sites have also introduced a range of energy efficiency improvements.

“So we’re already doing our bit, but we need everyone to come to the party on making Surf Coast a renewable energy leader. The Powered by Positive program makes it easy for anyone to become more energy efficient.”