22 FEBRUARY 2012
The City of Sydney has extended funding for the successful CitySwitch office energy efficiency program for another three years as it reaches 10 per cent of commercial office space across Australia."The commercial office building sector accounts for about half of the City of Sydney's carbon pollution and tenants are responsible for a quarter of this so CitySwitch has an important role to play in tackling climate change," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.Recent new corporate signings have taken CitySwitch to 1.7 million square metres of commercial office space nationally, equivalent to 250 football fields and halfway towards the program's target of 20 per cent.In Sydney, the program has attracted 69 businesses, covering 712,000 square metres, representing 15 per cent of the commercial office space since 2005.CitySwitch signatories commit to achieving 4 stars or higher on the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) for their tenancy. NABERS is an industry recognised tool used by building owners and tenants across Australia to measure and benchmark their greenhouse gas reduction performance. Star ratings go from one up to six with the average 2.5 stars.CitySwitch was launched nationally in June 2008. By June last year, CitySwitch had verified 26,000 tonnes of carbon emission reductions, nationally, equal to taking 8,500 cars off the road.LJ Hooker and the Brisbane, Perth and ACT offices of existing signatory, international legal practice Norton Rose Australia, are among the latest additions to CitySwitch.LJ Hooker signed up its 2,000-square-metre headquarters in Sydney, to the program, while Norton Rose Australia, already a CitySwitch signatory in Sydney and Melbourne, recently added its Perth, Brisbane and ACT offices to the program, bringing its combined representation to 25,000 square metres.Norton Rose Australia last year won the CitySwitch NSW Signatory of the Year Award for offices over 2,000 square metres after reducing carbon pollution by 214 tonnes and saving $42,000 in energy bills per year at its Sydney office."We've worked hard to reduce our carbon footprint and have been able to achieve real progress by committing to energy targets," Tim Shacklock, Norton Rose Australia's chief operating officer said.LJ Hooker Chief Executive Officer Janusz Hooker said: "At LJ Hooker Corporate, we are mindful of recent data that shows buildings contribute to 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. We are committed to lowering the impact that our head office has on the environment."By increasing their NABERS Energy rating from the 2.5 average to 4.5 stars, CitySwitch signatories nationally could reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 168,000 tonnes equal to taking 56,000 cars off the road. In the City of Sydney this would total carbon reductions of 52,000 tonnes per year, equal to taking 17,100 cars off the road.For a one star NABERS energy efficiency improvement, from three to four stars, CitySwitch businesses would make a collective energy saving of $2.9 million per year.City of Sydney Council approved $770,000 to fund a three-year continuation to 2015 of the program. A broad range of signatories - including companies, government departments, unions and charities have already signed up.Obtaining a NABERS rating is now even more important with a new federal law requiring owners to certify their building's energy efficiency before they lease, sub-lease or sell office space greater than 2,000 square metres.The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage has managed the operation of the NABERS ratings throughout Australia since 2005. It is overseen by the NABERS National Steering Committee, representing the Australian, State and Territory Governments.The City of Sydney is the national coordinator of the program, which is run in partnership with the City of Sydney, North Sydney, Parramatta, Willoughby, Ryde, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Yarra, Port Phillip, the ACT Government and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) and Sustainability Victoria.
15 NOVEMBER 2011
International legal practice Norton Rose Australia and Knight Frank’s property management office tonight won the top CitySwitch awards for office energy efficiency after making major reductions in their energy use through innovative improvements and active staff education.
Norton Rose Australia won the CitySwitch NSW Signatory of the Year Award for offices over 2,000 square metres after reducing carbon pollution by 214 tonnes and saving $42,000 in energy bills per year.
The firm sustained the 4 star NABERS energy efficiency rating at its Grosvenor Place tenancy which accommodates approximately 400 staff in the 8,900 square metres, five level, office.
Property managers, Knight Frank, won the CitySwitch award under 2,000 metres for its 135 on King office. They improved the NABERS rating from three to five stars for the 148 square metre tenancy by reducing carbon pollution by 9.5 tonnes per year and saving $2,000 per year in energy bills.
CitySwitch is Australia’s leading office energy efficiency program operating in 130 tenancies occupying more than 880,000 square metres of office space in NSW. Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, announced the winners last night at a special CitySwitch function at Town Hall.
“CitySwitch would like to congratulate Norton Rose Australia and 135 on King for their innovative energy efficiency improvements and engaging staff education programs,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Norton Rose Australia developed an internal carbon footprint calculator and invested in video conferencing to replace much of the firm’s interstate flying.
“The 135 on King office’s lighting, computer and water heating changes demonstrated that smaller businesses can make a difference.
“The CitySwitch program is helping to bring about market transformation by inspiring and engaging business owners and office workers across the country.”
Norton Rose Australia made the energy savings through the installation of sensor and zoned lighting, improvements to desktop computer power controls and increased virtualisation of computer server hardware. Hardware virtualisation allows multiple operating systems to simultaneously share processor resources saving energy and improving processing speed.
As part of raising staff awareness, Norton Rose Australia made available an in-house sustainability guide that provides direction in procurement, energy efficiency in the office and at home, car pooling and riding a bike to work.
At 135 on King, energy reductions were made with time controls and lighting upgrades, reducing personal computer sleep modes from 20 minutes to five minutes and fitting the kitchen sink hot water unit and chilled water bubbler with timers to halve operating time. As part of a staff awareness campaign, the tenancy used CitySwitch Power-Mates (digital power meters) to demonstrate that energy savings of 10 per cent could be made by simply turning off CCTV monitors, desktop monitors and computers when not in use.
The CitySwitch program began in Sydney in 2005 and was launched nationally in June 2008. It operates in every mainland State and the ACT. The program covers 330 signatories and 371 tenancies, occupying more than 1.6 million square metres of office space.
The NABERS Energy rating is an industry recognized tool to help tenants across Australia benchmark their greenhouse gas reduction performance. Ratings go from one to six, the top level of energy efficiency.
CitySwitch Progress Report and Awards Presentation 2011
The Awards Presentation event Dean Smith of Knight Frank Lexia Wilson and Lionel Bird
at the Town Hall Vestibule in and Den Jolly of 135 on King of Norton Rose Australia accept
Sydney. accept the Signatory of the the Signatory of the Year
Year award as presented by Award as presented by Lord
Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP. Mayor, Clover Moore MP.
The City of Sydney is working with businesses large and small to make Sydney an environmental leader with innovative new programs to cut energy, water and carbon pollution costs.
The City is offering $40,000 in grants to help businesses cut their power bills and carbon emissions by improving the energy efficiency of their offices.
Companies will receive up to $1,000 to get a NABERS Energy rating for their office tenancy when they join the CitySwitch Green Office Program to help with energy efficiency improvements.
“NABERS Energy ratings are the industry benchmark for any company serious about monitoring and reducing its costs and environmental impact. It doesn’t matter where you start, but any effective energy reduction strategy needs to be based on a clear understanding of where you are now. Some people find the first step the hardest, that’s why we are here to help with grants and practical support”
Once benchmark ratings are complete, CitySwitch, provides organisations with other free resources to assist implementations and deliver savings,including one-to-one support, events, toolkits, impartial advice, links to funding sources and professional networks,” the Lord Mayor said.
CitySwitch, run by the City of Sydney in partnership with capital city and municipal councils, now covers 322 tenancies covering 1.6 million square metres of office space.
The City will also provide a new service to commercial building owners under the new NSW Environmental Upgrade Agreements (EUA) law. It will give building owners a new way to pay for environmental upgrades such as energy and water-saving improvements.
The law allows owners to share the costs of environmental upgrades to their buildings with tenants, if they will benefit from reduced energy or water costs.
Through the voluntary agreement involving building owners, a finance provider and a local council, the cost of environmental upgrades are repaid by a charge on the property collected by the council on behalf of the finance provider.
“At present, building owners are discouraged from environmental upgrades because it’s the tenant who mainly benefits from the lower electricity and water bills,” said Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP. “The new program will help overcome this barrier.”
Ms Moore said the voluntary agreements should provide building owners with better finance deals because the finance provider would have greater loan security.
“These initiatives will help businesses reduce their energy, water and carbon pollution costs while helping the City meet its 70 per cent carbon reduction target across the local government area by 2030 – one of the most ambitious of any Australian government.”
The City of Sydney is aiming to sign its first voluntary Environmental Upgrade Agreement by the end of the year and have 10 in operation over the following 12 months. The program is being partly funded by the NSW Office of the Environment and Heritage.
Efficiency pays. CitySwitch Green Office Signatory, Norton Rose, reduced their operating costs by $42,000 per annum by improving their workplace sustainability. Once obtaining their NABERS rating with CitySwitch, the Sydney legal firm could benchmark their performance and initiated low-cost behaviour change initiatives to engage staff and upgrade lighting. Recent research by the Australian Property Institute and the Property Funds Association of Australia found that buildings with the highest NABERS energy efficiency rating of five stars had higher occupancy rates and were worth 9 per cent more than buildings without an energy rating.
Find out more >
12 SEPTEMBER 2011
The Total Environment Centre (TEC) is currently undertaking a project funded by the Office of the Environment and Heritage (Environmental Trust) with the outcome of developing an education package for building owners of C and D Grade property.
Suitable buildings will form case studies looking at initiatives undertaken that led to the improvement in star ratings, as well as motivations and outcomes. These case studies will be profiled at industry educational forums to be held early in 2012 in both the Sydney City and Parramatta Council centres.
This is an important study for the sector given that C and D buildings account for 51 per cent of all office buildings in Sydney, and many buildings are yet to be improved in terms of their environmental performance.
So far, the TEC has welcomed the strong interest and involvement offered by Colonial Mutual First State, AMP, Knight Frank, Jones Lang LaSalle, Colliers International and Savills property groups. Meanwhile the project has also secured partnerships with the City of Sydney, Parramatta City Council, as well as the Warren Centre who was responsible for the Low Energy High Rise (LEHR) study.
For further information on the study and to profile your building, contact Matt Fisher at the TEC at mattf@tec.org.au.
25 AUGUST 2011
The City of Ryde has joined Australia’s leading energy efficiency program for offices to help local businesses cut their energy bills.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said rising electricity prices and the prospect of carbon pricing are encouraging businesses to join the program.
“More than half the energy used in our capital city CBDs comes from office equipment, lighting and computers – that means there’s huge potential for saving energy and reducing power bills,” the Lord Mayor said.
CitySwitch began in 2006, as a partnership between the City of Sydney, North Sydney and Parramatta, and expanded nationally in June 2008.
Ryde joins Sydney, North Sydney, Parramatta, Willoughby, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Port Phillip, the ACT Government, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, and Sustainability Victoria, in delivering the CitySwitch program.
“CitySwitch offers businesses a double benefit of lower energy bills and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, which lower their exposure to the proposed carbon price,” said City of Ryde Mayor Artin Etmekdjian.
27 JULY 2011
The 10th NSW Green Globe Awards held on 26 July 2011 recognised CitySwitch Signatory Investa Property Group with the prestigious Premier’s Award for Sustainability Excellence for their efforts to green their property portfolio. In addition, the property group was announced the winner of both the Built Environment Sustainability Award and the Climate Leadership Award for their North Sydney tri-generation precint.
Other highlights of the ceremony include announcement of CitySwitch Signatory GPT Group as winner of the Business Sustainability Award and Amanda McCluskey of Colonial First State Global Asset Management (also a Signatory) as recipient of the Sustainability Champion Award.
CitySwitch partnering councils, Willoughby City Council and City of Sydney were also recognised for their ongoing efforts towards sustainability. For a full list of signatories, see the Green Globes Website >
Jones Lang LaSalle and Stockland win CitySwitch Signatory of the Year award
1 NOVEMBER 2010
Real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle and property developers Stockland were tonight awarded the inaugural CitySwitch NSW Signatory of the Year Award for significant achievements in office energy efficiency.
Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP announced the winners at the CitySwitch progress report briefing at Town Hall which celebrated the program’s collective achievements in commercial office energy efficiency.
Jones Lang LaSalle won the CitySwitch Signatory of the Year under 2000 sqm after achieving a 5 star NABERS Energy tenancy rating for three of its Sydney offices, 1 star higher than their CitySwitch commitment (without the use of GreenPower). An industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, Jones Lang LaSalle is committed to delivering exceptional strategic, fully-integrated services for commercial property owners, investors and occupiers.
Property developers Stockland won the CitySwitch Signatory of the Year over 2000 sqm. Stockland achieved a 5 star NABERS Energy tenancy rating for their Sydney head office without the use of GreenPower. It is also the first tenancy rating to include a trigeneration plant, which produces electricity, heating and cooling.
The judges said Stockland demonstrated clear leadership through innovation, a dedicated commitment to the pursuit of office energy efficiency and an ability to find creative solutions. One of Australia's leading diversified property groups and a top 50 ASX listed company, Stockland is committed to reducing the ecological footprint of the assets it owns and manages.
CitySwitch Signatories in NSW now represent over 850,000 square metres of office space across 115 office tenancies. Their effort and commitment has led to an estimated saving of approximately 10,400 tonnes of CO2 per year through energy efficiency measures in their offices which is the equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road.
A full outline of the program's collective and individual achievements is available in the CitySwitch Progress Report Snapshot below.
Download 2009/10 CitySwitch Progress Report Snapshot [1.5MB] >
Award winners (left to right): Kim Host of Jones Lang LaSalle (CitySwitch Signatory of the Year winner in the under 2000 sqm category), Greg Woodhams, Environmental Services Director of Willoughby City Council, Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor of Sydney, Cr Michael McDermott, Deputy Lord Mayor of Parramatta City Council, and Diana McEwan of Stockland (CitySwitch Signatory of the Year winner in the over 2000 sqm category).
28 JULY 2010
CitySwitch (NSW) was a Supporting Sponsor of the DECCW Green Globe Awards. Now in its eleventh year, the awards showcase outstanding achievements in the sustainable use of natural resources in NSW and leadership in tackling global warming.
Winners were announced at a gala ceremony on 27 July at NSW Parliament House. CitySwitch Signatories demonstrated their sustainable leadership taking out a number of awards. We congratulate the following winners:
Investa Property Group - Commercial Property Sustainability Award
Sydney Water - Public Sector Energy Award
City of Sydney - Ten Year Sustainability Achievement Certificate
Toyota Motoring Corporation - Ten Year Sustainability Achievement Certificate
The Premier’s Award for Sustainability Excellence was awarded to the Sydney Theatre Company for their ‘Greening the Wharf’ project. Find out more and view the full list of winners >
1 JULY 2010
The City of Sydney has welcomed new federal legislation which will make it mandatory to disclose the energy efficiency performance of commercial buildings before they are sold, leased or subleased.
"The Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act will boost energy efficiency as a key competitive driver in the commercial office market and lead to greater energy savings and associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP.
Ms Moore said the legislation will bolster the existing CitySwitch Green Office program, run by capital city councils, which works directly with office tenants to improve their energy efficiency.
"The CitySwitch program has so far signed up 212 organisations covering 1.3 million square metres of office space or 7 per cent of the total office space. CitySwitch is now well on its way to reaching its target of reducing CO2 emissions from commercial office buildings by 162,000 tonnes."
As tenants can influence up to 50 per cent of a building's energy use, CitySwitch works with organisations to identify and implement energy efficiency opportunities. Leighton Contractors, a CitySwitch member since 2009, has reduced its emissions by 34 tonnes by installing energy efficient lighting. CitySwitch member PricewaterhouseCoopers has reduced lighting energy demand by 29 per cent.
The new federal legislation will require building owners to provide a building energy efficiency certificate highlighting the energy performance of their building when they sell, lease or sub-lease office space covering more than 2,000 square metres.
Ms Moore said the scheme would be a great tool to provide tenants with transparent access to information that will enable them to make better decisions based on energy efficiency. "This scheme will ultimately increase underlying demand for energy efficient buildings and help create a market for green office stock," Ms Moore said.
Ms Moore said that the City of Sydney welcomed the legislation and looked forward to working with the Federal Government to ensure positive outcomes for CitySwitch Signatories.
The building energy efficiency certificate will be valid for 12 months and comprise an energy rating by the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), energy efficiency guidance and further information detailing the energy performance of the tenancy.
For more information on the scheme visit www.cbd.gov.au
16 FEBRUARY 2010
Digital power meters called Power-Mates are available to CitySwitch Signatories in NSW.
With electrical appliances drawing up to 68 percent of energy consumption in the office, the Power-Mate can be a useful tool for discovering what appliances are costing your organisation and the planet.
Power-Mates measure energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and calculate running costs of individual appliances allowing users to closely monitor their energy efficiency performance. They can also be used to identify:
inefficient appliances
‘power hungry’ devices
‘standby power’ consumption
unnecessary power consumption.
Based on measurement outcomes, the Power-Mate demonstrates the day-to-day energy savings that can be gained. Borrow a Power-Mate and discover what your office appliances are costing your organisation and the planet. Contact your NSW Program Manager for more information >
Note that City of Sydney residents can monitor their energy efficiency beyond the workplace and borrow a Power-Mate for home. The devices are available from local City of Sydney libraries.
Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water join CitySwitch
17 DECEMBER 2009
CitySwitch welcomed the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) as an official Signatory to the program. DECCW has provided ongoing commitment to CitySwitch as a funding partner, supporting the delivery and expansion of CitySwitch since 2005. By signing up three of their own tenancies – two located in Parramatta and one in Sydney’s CBD – DECCW is now demonstrating leadership to both business and government alike.
19 NOVEMBER 2009
The annual CitySwitch Green Office Progress Report - Executive Briefing was held on 18 November at Customs House, Sydney.
Attended by over 70 CitySwitch Signatory CEO's and Senior Executives, the event announced the program’s collective achievements in NSW. The occasion also celebrated another successful year in CitySwitch committing businesses to tangible changes that deliver long-term environmental benefits.
The City of Sydney is one of 75 NSW Signatories to CitySwitch, which has achieved significant carbon emissions savings over the past twelve months as part of the program’s ongoing commitment to increasing office energy efficiency.
“Now representing over 801,000 sqm of office space across the Sydney region alone, CitySwitch is a significant step towards tackling the biggest challenge of our time – climate change,” City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said.
Other key achievements include:
Colliers International – behavioural changes including switching off electronic equipment when not in use have led to a 30 per cent annual energy saving.
DTZ – emissions have been reduced by approximately 375,000kg CO2 over an 8 year lease term, the equivalent of taking 83,000 cars off the road.
GlasgowHart – behavioural changes such as defaulting to double-sided printing has led to a reduction in daily energy consumption from 15kW to 12kW.
A full outline of the program's collective and individual achievements is available in the CitySwitch Progress Report and Snapshop below.
2008/09 NSW Progress Report Snapshot 2.5MB | Download here >
2008/09 NSW Progress Report 6.5MB | Download here >
17 SEPTEMBER 2009
Over 90 CitySwitch Signatories and their guests came to hear about the key drivers for behaviour change at Sydney’s most recent CitySwitch Café Series event.
The event on 17 September was opened by North Sydney Mayor, Genia McCaffery and speakers from CitySwitch Signatory’s Ogilvy Earth and Energetics explored the means for communicating and engaging employees in an organisation’s sustainability strategy.
Both organisations have achieved energy efficiency successes in their own tenancies largely through implementing simple behavioural change measures.
Stephen Hale, OgilvyEarth’s Managing Director, discussed the importance of providing environmental leadership in the workplace today. Stephen provided an overview of research into employee perceptions and methods of communication, as well as examples of effective internal campaigns the communications agency has recently implemented.
Nick Jones, Principal Consultant for the Built Environment for Energetics, presented their tenancy as a behavioural change case study and reiterated that it is essentially the simple day-to-day actions of staff that can contribute to a workplace’s energy efficiency success.
Copies of the event presentations are available for Signatories via the CitySwitch resources page >
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1 JUNE 2009
Representatives from over eighty leading green cities from around the world have come together at the C40 Climate Change Summit in Seoul. Held in May this year, the leadership summit focused on climate change, under the theme of 'Cities Achievements and Challenges in the Fight against Climate Change'.
The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore MP, a representative of the Lord Mayor of Melbourne and senior executives from both councils represented Australia’s two C40 member cities, Sydney and Melbourne. CitySwitch was presented as a demonstration of local government leadership to combat carbon pollution. The City of Sydney and City of Melbourne on behalf of the CitySwitch partnering councils outlined how the actions of the growing CitySwitch network of tenant organisations are reducing Australia’s climate change impact.
CitySwitch was profiled as a leading project for collaboratively reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with the achievements of the program’s Signatories providing a leading example of best practice for achieving energy efficiency.
For more information visit the C40 Climate Change Summit website >
6 NOVEMBER 2008
The CitySwitch Green Office annual Progress Report - Executive Briefing was held on 5 November in AMP's impressive Harbour Terrace Room, 33 Alfred Street, Sydney. The event was attended by over 100 CEO's and Senior Executives representing CitySwitch Green Office Signatories.
Feedback from those who attended the briefing was extremely positive. They were impressed with the growth that occurred within the program over the past 12 months and felt that CitySwitch continued to provide a robust framework to measure, monitor and promote their progress to reduce their climate change impact.
A full outline of the program's collective and individual achievements is available in the CitySwitch Progress Report Snapshots below.
Download 2007/08 Progress Report Snapshot [590KB] >
Download 2006/07 Progress Report Snapshot [5,951KB] >
NSW news page >
Qld news page >
SA news page >
Vic news page >
WA news page >
National news page >
Activate ‘sleep’ mode on office equipment that isn’t in constant use.
The next CitySwitch workshop event in Sydney on 30 May will focus on 'best practice leasing'. Read more >
Financial assistance now available to Sydney businesses joining CitySwitch. More >
CitySwitch Program Overview [PDF | 140KB] >
Template Commitment Letter - NSW - Sydney >Template Commitment Letter - NSW - North Sydney >Template Commitment Letter - NSW - Parramatta >
Template Commitment Letter - NSW - Willoughby >
NABERS Accredited Assessors list >
More CitySwitch resources >