Commercial Buildings Next on the Block for Carbon Cuts

The Property Council has welcomed a push to expand Australia’s “light-touch” energy efficiency program for commercial buildings. Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister on June 14 announced a deadline for expanding the program to better capture energy and emissions information. The commercial building sector is responsible for about a quarter of electricity use and 10 percent of total emissions in Australia, so expanding its coverage would drive cost savings for business and significant emissions cuts, she told a business audience. Mandatory disclosure of energy use could apply to hotels, shopping centres, data centres, hospitals, and other non-residential facilities. Proposed changes could also allow for the introduction of minimum energy performance standards for low-performing buildings that fail to improve under a mandatory disclosure regime....