Maximise your building’s efficiency and save money

The City of Sydney is seeking 20 strata schemes to participate in the 2018-19 Smart Green Apartments program. This is a free program to create more efficient, cost-effective buildings with a focus on optimising energy and water efficiency and improving waste reduction.

Application guidelines 2018


Participating in Smart Green Apartments is free. Your strata scheme will receive:

  • fully funded NABERS ratings for energy and water
  • comprehensive audits undertaken by technical experts to identify and support the implementation of energy and water efficiency upgrades
  • a waste and recycling assessment with tailored solutions
  • an online platform to monitor and manage energy and water consumption
  • training opportunities and networking events.

Participants must have budget and be prepared to allocate funds to implement cost-effective recommendations. The program will require a reasonable time commitment from a dedicated building contact. Information and input will also be required from all building stakeholders, including the building manager, strata manager and representatives of the strata committee.

Selection considerations

  • your strata scheme must be within the City of Sydney local area
  • your strata scheme must have a minimum of 80 residential apartments
  • ahigh level of commitment must be shown by the owners corporation to support the program and implement environmental performance improvements.
  • strata title and company title buildings are eligible to apply.

The City of Sydney has absolute discretion to select which strata schemes will participate in the program. If your application is incomplete, we will not be able to consider it. Please contact us if you require assistance.

Application lodgement

As part of the application process, you must submit:

  • a completed application form (online)
  • aminuted strata committee resolution to apply for the program. This resolution should commit to:

–undertake low cost and no cost operational and maintenance improvements

–formally consider recommended upgrades at a general meeting.

A sample motion is available to help you with this process.

  • asigned letter of authorisation to allow the City of Sydney to access metering and invoicing data relating to your electricity, natural gas and water accounts.
  • application sign off from your building manager, strata manager and 2office bearers.
  • copies of the most recent electricity and gas bill for all accounts paid by the owners corporation.

Apply online

Complete and submit the online application form.

Downloads

  • Letter of authorisation to release data (Word 64.9 KB)
  • Sample motion (Word 65.5 KB)
  • Application sign off (Word 67.5 KB)

Questions

Contact 9246 7301 or 92659210

Closing time and date for applications

5pm Friday 14 September 2018


For the purpose of this application strata title terminology has been used throughout. Company Title buildings should replace the terms ‘Owners Corporation’ and ‘Strata Committee’ with ‘Company’ and ‘Board of Directors' as appropriate. Applications must be completed online.

Section 1: Strata scheme information

Building name
Address
Primary contact person / Name:
Position:
Email:
Phone:
Strata plan number or company name
Year built
Number of buildings in your strata scheme
Number of apartments in your strata scheme / Strict minimum is 80 apartments. Smaller strata schemes are encouraged to apply for an environmental grant. Call 9246 7301 for information.
Number of bedrooms in your strata scheme / This is important! It helps us to compare your water consumption against other buildings.
If you have access to your building plans, you’ll be able to count up the total number of bedrooms in the building. If you don’t have plans, it may be as simple as working out how many bedrooms are on a given floor and multiplying it by the number of residential floors, since the same floor plan is often repeated on each level.
Number of levels in your strata scheme / Residential:
Commercial or retail:
Car parking:
Number of car parking lots in your strata scheme / If you have building plans, you’ll be able to count them up. Parking lots are also shown on your registered strata plan
Number of commercial or retail lots (shops or businesses) in your strata scheme
When is your annual general meeting? / Select MONTH AND YEAR.
Is your strata scheme a member of a Building Management Committee (BMC)? / Yes/No
If yes, please:
  • indicate all strata plan numbers represented by the BMC
  • number of actual buildings in the BMC
  • upload a copy of the Strata Management Statement for the BMC
  • Name of the strata managing agent for the BMC
Instruction – please call us if you would like to discuss your building’s circumstances further.
Is your strata scheme a member of a Community Association (CA)? / Yes/No
If yes, please:
  • indicate all strata plan numbers that are members ofthe CA
  • number of actual buildings in the CA
  • upload a copy of the Community Management Statement and Community Plan
  • Name of the strata managing agent for the CA
Instruction – please call us if you would like to discuss your building’s circumstances further.
Does your strata scheme share resources with any strata schemes other than through a BMC or CA? / Yes/No
If yes, please specify which facilities are shared (for example, shared pools, car parks, lifts, water):
Does your strata scheme contain any serviced apartment accommodation? / Yes/No
If yes, please indicate:
–management/letting company
–percentage of residential lots that are serviced apartments
Instruction – some restrictions apply. Please call us to confirm your building’s eligibility for the program 02 9246 7301.

Section 2: Building and strata management

Name of strata management company
Name of strata managing agent
Name of building or facilities management company
Name of building or facility manager

Section 3: Electricity and gas bills

Please upload copies of the most recent electricity and gas bill for all accounts paid by the owners corporation. / Hint: Your strata manager will be able to provide these. All pages of each bill are required.

Section 4: Energy and water efficiency in your strata scheme

Please list any energy or water saving measures already implemented. / For example:
–energy efficient lighting upgrades (please detail location of upgrades)
–sensors on lighting
–carbon monoxide sensors for car park
–variable speed drives on pumps and fans
–energy efficient pool pumps
–tuning air conditioning systems for energy efficiency
–renewable energy e.g. Solar PV panels
–other initiatives that you consider significant:
What are the main barriers to implementing energy and water efficiency improvements in your strata scheme?
Do you have a budget for energy and water efficiency improvements? If not, how do you intend to fund any upgrades and improvements?
What does the owners corporation consider to be an acceptable payback period for upgrades?(for example, less than 4 years)
What building upgrades do you have scheduled?

Section 5: Building equipment and services

Hint: your building manager willhave the best idea of the presence or absence of this equipment
Ventilation / Please tick the equipment and services present in your strata scheme:
–Apartment exhaust fans (kitchen/bathroom/laundries)
–Car park exhaust and supply fans
–Other common area supply fans
–Unsure
How does your carpark ventilation system operate (24 hrs/day, CO sensor, timers)?
Air-conditioning / Does your strata scheme have a centralised air-conditioning system?
–Yes
–No
–Unsure
If yes, which areas does it service?
–Common areas
–Individual apartments
–Commercial/retail lots
How many apartments are centrally air-conditioned?
Does your strata scheme have a condenser water system?
–Yes
–No
–Unsure
Does your strata scheme have individual air-conditioning systems (for example,split systems) metered through private apartment electricity meters?
–Yes
–No
–Unsure
Hot Water / Does your strata scheme have a domestic hot water system that is provided centrally to apartments and maintained by the owners corporation? (in other words, one that services the hot water taps in all apartments)
–Yes
–No
If yes, what is the energy source?
–Gas
–Electricity
–Other:
Do you have solar pre-heat for hot water?
–Yes
–No
Does your strata scheme have stand-alone hot water system(s) used on common property, for example, a small hot water system in the garbage room or swimming pool change rooms?
–Yes
–No
If yes, what is the energy source?
–Gas
–Electricity
–Other:
Water / Please tick the equipment and services present in your strata scheme:
–Water pressure pumps (no storage tank, pumps boost mains pressure to provide constant pressure throughout building)
–Water jacking pumps (pumps water to a storage tank on upper levels in batches)
–Central holding tank for building’s water
–Sump pumps
–Sewerage pumps
–Pool/spa
–Irrigation system
How is cold water metered?
–Single meter for the whole building
–Individual meters for each apartment
How many common property water accounts does the strata scheme have?
Gas / Is gas supplied to the strata scheme(other than for centralised domestic hot water system)?
–Yes
–No
How is gas metered?
–A single utility (gas company) meter for the whole building
–All apartments and the common property are separately metered by the gas company
–Other:
How many common property gas accounts does the strata scheme have?
Electricity / How many common property electricity accounts does the strata scheme have?
Does the strata scheme purchase Green Power?
–Yes
–No
Does your strata scheme generate any renewable energy on-site?
–Yes
–No
If yes, provide details
Other equipment and facilities / Please tick the equipment and services present in your strata scheme:
Lifts
How many:
Pool
–Heated
–Not heated
If heated, please specify the energy source:
–Gas
–Electricity
–Other (for example, heat pump or solar):
Spa
Sauna
Gym
Communal laundries
Car stacker
Wine cellar (temperature controlled)
Electric vehicle charging (using common area power)
Building management system
Online monitoring system for energy and/or water
Other, please specify:

Section 6: Program commitment

Why does your strata schemewant to participate in the Smart Green Apartments program?
What channels do you have to communicate with residents?
Supporting documents / Please upload:
  • Minuted resolution of strata committee to participate in the Smart Green Apartments program
  • Application sign off document signed by 2office bearers, the strata manager and building manager
  • Signed letter of authorisation to access data
  • Copies of the most recent electricity and gas bill for all accounts paid by the owners corporation.

If your building is successful, you will be receiving a significant investment from the City of Sydney, along with other training opportunities. To get the most out of the program, you will need to agree to provide relevant access to your site for auditors and the data portal provider. They may also require access to other documentation, manuals and building diagrams.

Privacy and personal information protection notice

Your information is being collected by the City of Sydney for the purpose of selecting buildings to participate in the Smart Green Apartments program.The supply of this information is voluntary and your information will only be shared with relevant staff and approved contractors.To change your information contact or ring 9246 7301 or 9265 9210.Your information will be stored by the City in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.