Tackling climate change - Green Precincts Fund
Water for the Future – Fact sheet
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, September 2009
PDF file
The Green Precincts Fund was announced in the 2008-09 Federal Budget, with funding of $15 million over four years to support high-profile demonstration projects that deliver water and energy savings while educating the community about water and energy efficiency.
The Green Precincts Fund is an Australian Government initiative to prepare Australia for a future with less water and to encourage local communities to better manage their water and energy use.
Green Precincts projects aim to inspire the community
Photo: M Mohell and DEWHA
Green Precincts Fund objectives
- to raise community awareness about water and energy savings
- encourage the take-up of water and energy saving measures including using renewable energy in the home and community facilities
- deliver direct environmental benefits at project sites through water and energy efficiency measures
- encourage and demonstrate innovation in design and use of water and energy efficiency technology.
Green Precinct Fund projects
The following projects received Australian Government funding to develop high profile demonstration Green Precincts:
The Australian National University, Canberra ACT - Education Precincts for the Future: $1,032,980
Efficiency measures: stormwater harvesting for irrigation; black water treatment and reuse; conversion of oval to synthetic turf; solar photovoltaic installation; a building management system upgrade; and trial of a solar split air-conditioning system.
Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE, Bendigo Victoria - Charleston Rd Campus Redevelopment: $724,289
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting for irrigation; connection to recycled water supply for toilets and nonpotable water needs; geothermal heating and cooling energy generation system; lighting controls; solar hot water system; and solar photovoltaic installation.
Blue Mountains City Council, Katoomba NSW - Blue Mountains Sustainable Precinct: $1,500,000
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting; treatment of stormwater runoff in rooftop rain gardens; solar photovoltaic installation; a building management system; solar hot water system; and passive building design.
Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, Brunswick Victoria - Zero Emissions by 2012: $1,150,011
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting; vertical gardens; grey and black water onsite treatment and re-use in gardens; solar photovoltaic and wind turbine installation; solar refrigeration; solar cooking; biogas barbeques; electric vehicle conversion display; and passive building design.
City of Onkaparinga, Adelaide SA - Woodcroft Green Precinct: Combined Library and Neighbourhood Centre Demonstration Site: $750,000
Efficiency measures: rain and stormwater harvesting for reticulation; water and energy efficient appliances; solar photovoltaic installation; solar hot water system; a building management system; and solar powered car park lighting.
Essendon Football Club, Essendon Victoria - Windy Hill Green Precincts: $1,500,000
Efficiency measures: rain and stormwater harvesting; water and energy efficient appliances; solar photovoltaic installation; and a building management system.
Launceston City Council, Launceston Tasmania - Greening Inveresk Precinct: Towards Water and Energy Sustainability: $788,000
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting system; irrigation sensors; energy efficient appliances; a building management system; and an energy efficient air conditioning system upgrade.
Manningham City Council, Doncaster Victoria - Doncaster Hill Green Civic Precinct Sustainability Education Hub: $1,500,000
Efficiency measures: rain and stormwater harvesting; grey and black water reuse; rain garden bio-retention system; cogeneration plant; solar photovoltaic installation; wind turbines; passive building design including thermal chimney; and trigeneration absorption chiller.
Shire of Peppermint Grove, Peppermint Grove WA - The Grove Library Project: $1,500,000
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting; onsite stormwater and wastewater treatment; water efficient fittings; wind turbine; solar panels; and climate-sensitive building design including thermal maze, in-ground heat exchange and double glazing.
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Cockatoo Island and North Head NSW - Sydney Harbour Green Precincts: $861,500
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting, storage and refurbishment; water efficient fittings; large scale solar photovoltaic installation; and solar powered pumps.
Sydney Theatre Company, Walsh Bay NSW - Greening the Wharf: $1,200,000
Efficiency measures: rainwater harvesting, storage and reticulation; water efficient fittings; energy efficient appliances; a building management system upgrade; and a rooftop solar photovoltaic system to generate electricity.
Wide Bay Water Corporation, Heron Island Queensland - An Island is not an Island: A Green Precinct in the Great Barrier Reef: $1,290,000
Efficiency measures: desalination plant upgrade to an energy efficient system; water efficient fittings; solar photovoltaic system to reduce remote island reliance on diesel powered generator; and replacing in-room refrigeration with eskies.
A $100,000 grant was also provided to the Clean Energy for Eternity community group to investigate the feasibility of a solar farm on the NSW South Coast.
Photovoltaic rooftop solar panels in a busy city hub
Photo: Lauthier and DEWHA
Each of these projects:
- demonstrate and deliver significant water savings relative to comparable facilities
- deliver substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency measures
- include a significant community education component.
The Green Precincts program provides matching funding between $500,000 and $1.5 million, for up to 50 per cent of the eligible project costs to deliver high profile, energy and water savings projects that demonstrate their achievements to the community.
These projects will save an estimated 142 megalitres of water and 9,271,659 kilowatt-hours of energy a year. This will result in a reduced burden on potable water supplies and a substantial reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions.
All projects are due for completion by June 2012. There are no future funding rounds planned at this time.
More Information
Green Precincts Fund: www.environment.gov.au/water/policy-programs/green-precincts
Email: greenprecincts@environment.gov.au
Phone: 1800 218 478
Water for the Future: www.environment.gov.au/water
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