Shared electricity usage is often one of the largest expenses for a strata titled building. Owners Corporations of larger strata buildings could spend upwards of 5 figure sums on their power bill. The building’s lobby, hallways, fire stairs, gardens and car park all need lighting. Then there are pools, air conditioning and central water heating. You see, it quickly adds up to a sizeable bill.
Here are some useful tips to reduce your strata building’s energy usage:
- Lighting: Changing to low-energy alternatives can give you a return on investment within 6 months. Modern LED lights can offer up to 90% reduction in electricity usage. In addition, they last much longer than conventional light bulbs, which leads to a reduction in your maintenance expenses.
- Carpark ventilation: Ventilation equipment is often left to run 24/7 at great expense. You could consider installing carbon monoxide monitoring devices, which only switch the fans on when needed.
- Switch off!: A lot of electricity is simply wasted. Installing timers, lighting sensors and push button light switch timers can further reduce consumption in a cost effective way.
There are specialists who offer energy audits. These audits highlight which options would be suitable for your building, the associated costs and payback time. They can also suggest suppliers.
Further useful information can be found at the Smartblocks, Greenstrata and the NSW Energy Savings Scheme websites.
Your strata manager will be more than happy to assist you in these matters. Give them a call today!
This article was based on an article written by the team from Reduce Your Footprint.