The Christchurch City Council has won a regional award for energy efficiency for the third year in a row, it was announced today. Organised nationally by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), the Energy-Wise Companies campaign awards are designed to recognise excellence in energy efficiency programmes among all businesses in New Zealand in both public and private sectors.

Since 1991/92 Councils energy usage has fallen from $73 to only $60 per ratepayer per annum in the 1997/98 year. This is despite cost increases and higher energy usage for water pumping during the drought last summer.

Since Council started its energy efficiency programmes in the 1993/94 year, annual savings have reached $1.813 million. In the 1997/98 financial year, Council’s bill for energy use, to provide all its services (such as libraries, pools, parks, waste, and water services) totalled $7.044 million. If the Council did not have a committed energy efficiency programme this cost to ratepayers would have totalled $8.857 million.

“This is great news! The saving to ratepayers of $1.8 million is not just this year, but every year”, said Councillor David Close today. “City Council staff involved in the energy efficiency programme should be congratulated on winning this latest award. They have shown intelligence and persistence in seeking energy savings across a wide range of Council activities,” he said.

Energy efficiency projects by the Council in 1997/98 included;

a lighting upgrade at Central Library, resulting a saving of $41,000 by June 1998

installation of an emergency stand-by generator for reducing peak demand in the Civic Offices, achieving savings of $21, 700.

Newly developed engineering solutions for the new Centennial and Pioneer swimming pools are to result in projected savings of $166,000 in 1998/99.

A detailed table of Council’s recent energy efficiency projects, and graphs of total energy costs follows. These are available in colour on request.

For further information:

Merv Altments, Corporate Services Manager, phone 371-1468