Electricians and energy efficiency

It is important for electricians to have an understanding of energy efficiency in their day-to-day work. Businesses and households are increasingly looking to implement energy efficiency measures to reduce their energy bills as well as their carbon footprint, and the emissions trading scheme would provide an added impetus for this.

More stringent building energy-efficiency standards and mandatory standards for appliances and equipment are key drivers for greater energy efficiency in households and business. Also, a range of government incentives (listed below) are encouraging consumers to increase efficiency beyond the regulated minimum levels.

Sustainability Victoria has been actively involved in the development of energy efficiency training for electricians, participating in the national program which regulates the energy efficiency of appliances and equipment and involved in the Victorian government’s Energy Saver Incentive Scheme that provides incentives for households to upgrade their energy efficiency.

EcoSmart Electricians program

Sustainability Victoria chairs the Trades and Professions Training and Accreditation Committee set up under the National Framework for Energy Efficiency (NFEE). This committee’s role is to promote energy-efficiency skills into the workforce through training in both the vocational education and training (VET) and higher education sector and to develop accreditation systems which recognise those who have undertaken training in energy efficiency.

In 2006, Sustainability Victoria, on behalf of NFEE, partnered with the Victorian chapter of NECA to develop the EcoSmart Electricians program. An EcoSmart Electrician is a licensed electrical contractor who has certification and accreditation in energy efficiency. These electricians have been professionally trained in energy-efficient products, technologies and installations to provide consumers with a complete energy-efficient electrical solution in an industrial, commercial or domestic environment.

The course is specifically designed to provide a broad understanding of the concepts of energy efficiency, utilising modern technology and products, and covers energy management, lighting, pumps, fans and motors, solar generation and solar heating and cooling. Once training is complete, participants are provided with nationally recognised certification. To date, over 1200 electricians from 270 individual electrical contracting businesses have been trained.

Further information on the course can be obtained from http://www.ecosmartelectricians.com.au/index.php?page=training.

Building Code of Australia

More stringent building energy-efficiency standards have been proposed as part of the 2010 update of the Building Code of Australia - BCA 2010. This will impact on both residential and commercial buildings and is currently the subject of a regulation impact statement process being run by the Australian Building Codes Board. For further information, visit www.abcb.gov.au.

In the residential sector, it is proposed to increase the minimum efficiency of new houses from 5-Star to 6-Star rating, to introduce a maximum lighting power density for lighting and to set a greenhouse benchmark for water heating which would mean that, in most cases, it would not be possible to install electric resistance water heating. Houses would only be able to install high-efficiency gas, solar or heat pump water heaters that met certain minimum standards.

The new residential lighting requirements are likely to impact most on electricians. The proposed requirements are a maximum installed lighting power density of 5 W/m² in the home and 3 W/m² in the garage. While the proposed limits would still allow the use of some 12 V halogen downlights, there will need to be greater use of low-energy lighting options to stay within these power limits.

A range of changes are proposed for the commercial building standards which will also impact on the electrical industry. Adjustments are proposed for the maximum allowable power density of lighting, with some increases and some decreases. The main areas where decreases are proposed are for retail space, healthcare, schools and laboratories.

The changes to the commercial building standards will also impact on fans and pumps and their associated control systems. Maximum power allowances are proposed for air conditioning and ventilation fans and for pumps; and the use of variable speed control will be required in certain circumstances.

Minimum energy performance standards

In Australia, minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for appliances and equipment are coordinated through the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) program, a joint initiative of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, as well as the New Zealand government. The E3 program is managed by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), with Sustainability Victoria one of Victoria’s representatives on the committee which oversees the operation of the scheme.

A range of electrical appliances and equipment has been regulated for energy efficiency under the scheme, including domestic refrigerators, single- and three-phase packaged air conditioners, three-phase electric induction motors, distribution transformers, linear fluorescent tubes and their ballasts, refrigerated display cabinets and commercial chillers. The MEPS implemented for these products mean that it is illegal to import or sell products which do not meet the specified minimum efficiency levels.

In November 2009, MEPS were introduced for common incandescent light globes and CFLs, following the implementation of an import ban on inefficient incandescent light globes by the Commonwealth government in February 2009. The MEPS for incandescent light globes mean that it is no longer possible to sell conventional pear-shaped tungsten filament light globes. However, it is still possible for consumers to purchase MEPS-compliant 240 V tungsten-halogen globes, which use about 30% less energy, but are not as efficient as CFLs. The MEPS CFLs establish minimum efficiency levels, but also address other aspects of CFL performance to help ensure that good-quality products are available on the market.

The incandescent lighting MEPS, coupled with government efforts to increase consumer uptake of CFLs, will lead to an increased demand for information on lighting options from consumers. In particular, electricians are likely to get questions on the compatibility of CFLs with existing dimming circuits.

To assist electricians gain a better understanding of lighting energy efficiency and the building and MEPS which will impact on the lighting market, the E3 program has worked with NECA to develop a module on lighting as part of the EcoSmart Electricians course (visit www.ecosmartelectricians.com.au/starter-kit/d01_01.html for more information).

Victorian Energy Efficiency Target scheme

The Victorian Energy Saver Incentive Scheme - officially known as the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme - started in Victoria in January 2009. Under this scheme, known as a white certificate scheme, there is an obligation on electricity and gas retailers to source energy savings from their residential customers. Similar schemes also operate in South Australia and New South Wales.

The Victorian scheme is focused on savings in the residential sector; and there is a range of simple energy-efficiency measures that are eligible under the scheme, such as replacing incandescent lamps with CFLs, retrofitting 12 V halogen downlights to take 240 V CFLs and replacing electric resistance water heaters with solar or heat pump water heaters. Eligible measures generate a predetermined number of certificates - equivalent to their lifetime greenhouse abatement - when they are installed in a home and these certificates can be sold to the energy retailers who have obligations under the scheme.

During the first three years of the scheme, 2009-2011, the Energy Saver Incentive will result in 2.7 million certificates being generated each year, equivalent to 2.7 million tonnes of greenhouse abatement over the life of the energy-efficiency measures installed.

Electrical contracting businesses could be involved in the scheme through installing eligible measures in homes, but would first need to be accredited by the Essential Services Commission, the scheme administrator. Further information is available from www.esc.vic.gov.au/public/VEET/ and www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/for_households/lighting_3991.html.

Sustainability Victoria is an agency of the Victorian government that facilitates and promotes sustainable use of resources.