This will be a great opportunity for small to medium business owners to hear from other local Port Phillip businesses who have successfully implemented sustainable energy saving initiatives in to their day to day activities.

Various sustainability experts, including Ecovantage will be in attendance, giving advice on energy saving low cost activities and the available sustainability programs which can help businesses become more energy efficient.

Ecovantage will provide specialist advice on the energy savings activities and latest energy saving devices which reduce operating costs and promote more sustainable business practices. Ecovantage will demonstrate easy energy efficient installs and the money saving benefit of operating a business with these latest energy saving products.

Please RSVP your interest below. It will be great to see you there!

The Greening For Growth Forum 2012 details

When

Monday 27 February 2012

5.30pm – 7.30pm

Where

Port Melbourne Town Hall Auditorium

333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

For more information and to RSVP

Email: admin@portphillipbusiness.com.au

Telephone: ASSIST on 9209 6777

Eligible households missing out on TV rebate scheme

Did you know you could access a cash rebate to upgrade your TV? No? Well you’re not alone.

The majority of both metropolitan and regional households spoken to by environmental consultants Ecovantage over the last month were unaware of the rebate available for upgrading to a more energy efficient TV. Neither had they heard of the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) Scheme.

The rebate provides a payment to households who make the switch and a long-term benefit in the form of reduced energy bills. The rebate amount can be up to $100 for LED TVs with five plus energy ratings. These TVs can use as little as 300 kWh per year.

With Christmas just behind us, it is also important to note that people who have already upgraded to a new TV can still access the rebates retrospectively in many cases. Eligibility depends on whether their new TV is one of more than 400 models that qualify for a rebate. Nathan O’Halloran from Ecovantage said “These rebates are helping households take positive environmental action and cut their energy bills at the same time. “With electricity costs rising every year, this is one of the best ways to insulate yourself and your family from future price hikes.

“Even larger rebates are available for upgrading home heating systems and hot water systems.” He went on to say “The value of rebates is set by a market trading scheme and is likely to fall after 30 January 2012. Households who have already upgraded or who plan to are advised to get in before this deadline to maximise the amount they get back from the VEET Scheme.” The VEET Scheme aims to reduce Victoria’s carbon emissions by providing rebates for efficiency improvements and appliance upgrades. This includes home heating, hot water systems and TVs. Televisions are the fourth largest user of energy around the average home. The Scheme relies on the private sector for promotion to the community.

People interested in finding out more or accessing the scheme should visit www.ecovantage.com.au or phone Nathan O’Halloran on 03 9015 6895 for more information.

Rebates on 5 plus energy star rated LED TVs are available to the energy conscious consumer, who is hoping to improve their home energy savings and also enjoy a price reduction on a possible Christmas present for themselves or their family.

Classified as high energy efficiency televisions through the VEET register, TV’s using energy saving LED technology and labelled with a 5 plus energy rating could provide a rebate value of $30 to $100.

The VEET product register hosts over 400 applicable energy saving brands of TV’s which can receive a rebate. Many of the selected TV’s energy consumption can be as low as 300 kWh per year, which provides a great opportunity to save on future bills. Considering that televisions are currently the fourth largest electricity user in the average Australian home, many consumers are now looking to the latest energy saving technologies to help in their battle against their rising electricity bills.

“Now is a great time to benefit from rebates on LED high efficiency TVs through the VEET scheme.” Nathan O’Halloran from Ecovantage said. “These rebates are helping consumers take positive environmental action as they upgrade to latest energy efficient technology and also providing consumers with a great payback incentive, just in time for Christmas.”

For more information on how to receive a rebate on your LED TV purchase call Ecovantage on 9015 6895 or email rebates@ecovantage.com.au

2. Draught proof the building to be in control of air entry and exit. Ensure that all gaps and openings throughout the building are closed by affixing door strips to the bottom of every exterior door, applying draught-sealing tapes around door and window frame jambs, and by filling all other apertures such as cracks in walls or gaps between louvered window panes. These measures will keep the hot northerly winds out and the cool air in. Install exhaust ceiling fan caps where possible to keep the superhot roof cavity air out of the rooms. A ceiling fan cap product called Draftstoppa is the best solution for your standard, round exhaust fans. Generally, the more you can ‘compartmentalise’ and fully seal each room of the home or building the easier it is to control the internal temperature at will

3. Shade or insulate your windows. Heat gain to any room occurs in majority through the thin membranes that are your window panes. This is exacerbated when those windows are subject to direct sunlight, particularly the afternoon sun from the west. Ideally, you should install blinds or shade cloth to the outside of the building so as to shade those windows from the sun. Where you cannot install exterior blinds, an excellent alternative is to install interior shading. A heavy duty, perforated, aluminium foil such as Renshade is the best product on the market for this purpose. It reflects 95% of the sun’s radiant heat, allows abundant light to still enter the room, and still gives a very good view to the outside. Install it for summer, then roll it up for storage through winter.

Now that we are unpacked we are finding our feet in our new home, hunting out the best coffee and tastiest lunches. If anyone has any recommendations close to  Rupert St we would greatly appreciate hearing from you

Our new contact details are as follows

When trying to reduce the energy usage of your home, one of the most cost effective products available is Renshade, a laminate paper product, topped with aluminium foil and perforated with tiny holes for visibility. It is applied to the inside of windows so as to reflect radiant heat, and it works brilliantly.

Renshade aluminium foil laminate operates much like a mirror and reflects the sun’s radiation away from the house. Renshade creates a shade impasse between the outside and inside of your home, effectively blocking up to 85% of the natural heat carried by the sun’s rays. The perforated holes are distributed evenly across the Renshade surface, allowing for outward visibility while not sacrificing shading value.

Renshade is simply applied to existing windows via Velcro adhesive ‘dots’ when you require it, then removed and rolled up for storage purposes. Renshade is an adaptive energy efficiency process which will considerably improve the cooling efficiency of your home and save on the energy slog of summer air conditioning units.

Renshade is suitable for any building type, and is ideal if you have west-facing windows. This product will block the afternoon and early evening sun, making that room immediately, considerably and noticeably cooler. It is an affordable alternative to costly or difficult-to-install external shading. Renshade will make your summer a whole lot more comfortable, and less expensive.

Call or email Ecovantage and we will send you a sample piece of Renshade so that you can see for yourself. You won’t regret it.

info@ecovantage.com.au

Ph: 03 9015 6888

Renshade is an Australian-owned company, and is manufactured right here in Melbourne, Australia.

Seamus and Jeff have been busy with NABERS ratings, for hotels and office buildings in Melbourne, Sydney  and regional Victoria and New South Wales, and are pleased to now be able to offer Tenancy lighting assessments and Building Energy Efficiency Certificates (BEEC) lodgement. Only a CBD Accredited Assessor can apply for a BEEC on behalf of their clients (the building owner/lessor).

For more information on Ecovantage’s fantastic services or a general chat about CBD and NABERS ratings please contact

Seamus Balkin (Sydney) at : seamus.balkin@ecovantage.com.au

Jeff Elliott (Melbourne) at jeff.elliott@ecovantage.com.au