Attended by 275 delegates on 2 December 2010 in Sydney, the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC) National Conference brought together an eclectic mix of organisations and individuals dedicated to bringing energy efficiency to the fore.

The dominant themes included the above mentioned fiscal attractiveness of energy efficiency measures, in comparison to other carbon reduction activities, as well as:

• The need for a national energy efficiency target
• The need for unified and consistent energy efficiency measures.

There was also widespread acknowledgment that the energy efficiency measures adopted in California are something that Australia should aspire towards (see below for details on The Californian Dream).

The EEC conference boasted a series of high profile guest speakers including Dr Eoin Lees, Vice President if the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Dr Lees spoke about initiatives established in Europe to promote energy efficiency including:

• The implementation of energy efficiency obligations for household suppliers of electricity and gas
• Providing tax credits and deductions to households who have certain energy saving measures installed professionally.

Another prestigious guest was John Pierce, Chairman of the Australian Energy Market Commission. Mr Pierce spoke in detail about some of the recent changes made to the National Energy Market, and further changes that might be necessary to drive cogeneration.

During the final session of the EEC conference, political heavyweights Adam Bandt MP, Australian Greens Member for Melbourne, and the Honourable Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage were also invited to share their ideas about energy efficiency. Mr Hunt expressed concern that some energy efficiency measures would cause a hike in energy bills, championing instead the carbon abatement measures featured in the Liberal Party’s ‘Climate Action Plan’. Mr Bandt suggested that one way to deal with potential energy bill increases would be to build mechanisms into energy efficiency strategies that protect those most financially vulnerable in the community.

The need for a national energy efficiency target

Simon Smith, Deputy Director General of Climate Change, Policy and Programs with the New South Wales Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, strongly urged for a national energy efficiency target. Mr Smith advocated adherence to the recommendation made in the Report of the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency to set a national energy efficiency target of reducing energy intensity by 30 per cent between now and 2020.

Only by unifying energy efficiency efforts across the country could Australia reduce its current energy intensity, said Mr Smith. An intensity that demands the use of extremely large amounts of brown coal, second only in quantity to India, Mr Smith explained. Because of this heavy reliance on brown coal for energy, Mr Smith said, energy efficiency measures in Australia would have a disproportionately large impact in reducing carbon emissions.

Bridget Brill, Assistant Secretary, Policy and Strategy Branch – Renewable Energy Efficiency Division, Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, went into further detail about the recommendations made in the Report of the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency at the conference. Ms Brill assisted the Prime Minister’s Task Group in the devising of said report and discussed that, as well as recommending a national energy efficiency target, the report also highlighted the need to:

• Establish a transitional national energy savings initiative that would replace existing and planned state energy efficiency schemes and be phased down as a carbon price matures
• Reset the governance framework of energy efficiency so that responsibility for its delivery, co-ordination and implementation is clear
• Provide a stronger enabling environment for energy efficiency innovation by improving information, data and analysis — noting that for something to be managed, it must be measured
• Building an energy efficiency culture in Australia through a long-term, nationally-integrated strategy.

One of the EEC conference sessions dealt specifically with the final recommendation – building an energy efficient culture in Australia.

The session, titled ‘Behaviour and Efficiency’ examined how to alter the way people think about, and act in regards to energy consumption. Dr George Quezada, an organisational psychologist working with the CSIRO, spoke about the program, Energymark, which was developed by a CSIRO team headed by Anne-Maree Dowd in 2008, and based on a three year behaviour change program developed by the Victorian Women’s Trust initiative Watermark. Energymark provides the framework for community-based discussion groups on energy, climate change, water and waste – designed to educate people about ways to consume energy more efficiently.

The need for unified and consistent energy efficiency measures

The absence of a consistent energy efficiency measure was a re-occurring theme throughout the day, with an entire session devoted to the subject in the latter half of the conference. The session highlighted that monitoring energy use in a consistent and reliable way underpins energy efficiency. While it was acknowledged that there are steps being taken in this direction, by NABERS for example, it was suggested that there is still a long way to go.

Optimism

While the EEC Conference highlighted that the energy efficiency industry still has major ground to cover in contributing to the improvement of Australia’s carbon profile, it was nonetheless an optimistic occasion. Most encouraging was the session on emerging technologies. During this session Dr Josh Wall from CSIRO shared details of advancements his research team have made in the development of energy efficient distribution systems, in particular the development of energy efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning apparatus. Rada Stanic, Consulting Architect with Cisco, also spoke during this session about her role in designing end-to-end smart grid architecture.

It was made apparent at the conference that there is a lot of movement in the energy efficiency arena. The right people are listening, and action is being taken on many fronts. There will always be more to do, but the 2010 EEC National Conference demonstrated that there is a healthy energy efficiency community paving the way.