NAGA councils are replacing gas with renewable energy

NAGA councils are looking to eliminate the need for fossil fuels wherever possible, and while councils have been reducing their electricity use for many years, it is only more recently that they have begun to look at getting off gas.
 
Some of councils’ most common and/or largest uses of gas include:
  • Heating large volumes of water for swimming pools
  • Heating smaller volumes of water in individual hot water systems across many council buildings
  • Gas-fired cogeneration and/or trigeneration units that simultaneously generate heat and electricity (and in the case of trigeneration, cooling)
 
Councils like Banyule, Melbourne, Moreland and Yarra are now moving towards eliminating gas in their organisational operations and getting their energy use to zero by increasing their energy efficiency, installing solar panels to generate energy on site, participating in innovative joint energy procurement projects, and electrifying as much of their plant as possible.

Lessons learned and myths busted

The case studies (right) from Banyule, Moreland, Melbourne, Yarra and Whittlesea City Councils demonstrate that the electrification of council buildings and operations is a viable goal for Melbourne councils.

​There are several common themes across the journeys of these five very different councils:
  • Consultants, industry and trades in Melbourne are not necessarily experienced in helping councils to transition away from gas – yet.
  • Assumptions made by consultants and other facilitating professionals need to be challenged with both a practical understanding of councils’ needs and a good grasp of the technical challenges involved.
  • Internal stakeholders – who often rely on the advice of consultants – need to see evidence that electrification works and will meet the needs of their council’s operations.
  • Bringing in and building in-house capacity is a crucial factor in successful transition away from gas.
  • Leadership from the top, and alignment with key council strategies, is also key.

Case studies