This article about the Actsmart Business Energy and Water program has been supplied by the Actsmart Business Energy and Water Team.
If you are one of the many owners corporations in Canberra with common area lighting, you are likely to be eligible to receive up to $5,000 in ACT Government rebates to help reduce these ongoing costs.
Most unit title developments have common area lighting which is paid for from the owners corporation levies.
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Common area lighting is found in the basement carparks, stairwells, hallways, lifts and around pathways to provide safe illumination to and from apartments. Many of these lights are old inefficient fluorescent lights and are often on for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One twin tube fluorescent light alone can cost a whopping $200 a year. How many are in your common area?
The ACT Government, through the Actsmart Business Energy and Water program, provides free advice and up to $5,000 in rebates to help replace inefficient lights with efficient LED lighting.
Here’s how it works:
- Use the Actsmart Lighting Efficiency webtool to discover possible dollar savings.
- Contact businessenergy@act.gov.au or 13 22 81 for a registration form and details on eligibility.
- Receive a free onsite energy assessment and tailored report.
- Upgrade old inefficient lights.
- Claim back 50% of the cost of the upgrade, capped at $5,000.
- Gloat over the drop in your common area lighting bills.
Typical lights eligible for the rebate include emergency lights, exit sign lights, pathway bollards, circular hallway “oyster” lights and halogen downlights. Replacement LED lights save anywhere from 50% to 80% of the running costs and we recommend motion sensors be fitted for further savings. Payback times are typically less than two years.
Your owners corporation may also be able to replace the non-emergency fluorescent tubes found in basement carparks, stairwells and hallways through the ACT Government’s Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme, and our talented assessors will advise you accordingly.
So if you’re frustrated watching good money going out the door, contact Actsmart to find out how we can help you keep your common area costs to a minimum.
Lara, Shane, Eshan and Andrew
Actsmart Business Energy and Water Team
E: businessenergy@act.gov.au
P: 13 22 81
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This post appears in Strata News #234
Visit Maintenance and Common Property, Apartment Living Sustainability OR Australian Capital Territory Strata Legislation.
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