Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, has introduced a range of incentives to encourage residents to take part in an innovative program to save energy in their own homes and lower their carbon footprint.
Council’s Charge Ahead program is one arm of the commitment to joining the Climate Council’s Cities Power Partnership after making five pledges to take action against climate change.
Charge Ahead is aimed at engaging and supporting the local community to think and take action while also saving money.
One of its initiatives is the Energy Saving Challenge – a competition which sets monthly energy savings challenges, and which rewards entrants who accumulate the most points for making their homes more energy efficient.
Curl Curl resident Justin O’Hare was one lucky winner who took home a vertical planter kit as his reward.
“The energy challenge made me look at every electric device in the house and see how much it costs to run.
“This has encouraged me to be much more selective about how I use devices and I only boil the water I need when making a cuppa,” Justin said.
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said Council was committed to taking action on climate change.
“Charge Ahead offers our community practical and effective tools to help them have a positive impact on the environment while also saving money.”
Two other tools in the Charge Ahead program include:
Sunspot – a solar mapping tool which allows homeowners to calculate potential electricity savings from installing rooftop solar panels. It also considers issues such as sun intensity, shading and roof orientation.
Our Energy Future – a sustainability advice service which offers practical guidance on reducing energy use in the home including advice on solar, lighting, insulation and draft proofing.
The Cities Power Partnership is a coalition of mayors, councillors and communities who are committed to a sustainable, non-polluting energy future.
