In Erskineville, Verve is a residential complex with 102 units. It boasts a rooftop solar system for common property energy use. And it has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, allowing residents to set up fast charging wall boxes in the car park.
Verve received its first green building grant in 2021 and achieved a 4.5 star NABERS rating for energy. The building already had solar power (25.5kw) at the time. This saves about $6,000 in common area electricity costs each year.
A second green building grant in 2023 helped Verve gain another NABERS rating and an updated energy action plan.
What it did
- Signed-up to our food scraps recycling program – one of the first buildings to do so
- Upgraded all lighting in common areas, such as the carpark and fire stairs, to LED with motion sensors
- Installed a second mains distributor frame to run cables for safe EV charging loads. A tenant can now set up an EV fast charging wall box in their car spot
- Created 8 beautiful kerb side flower beds
Verve is considering installing a further 30kw of rooftop solar power and a battery. Switching to a GreenPower electricity plan is also on the cards.
Results
- Reduced common area electricity use by 42% since its first year NABERS rating
- Cut overall carbon emissions by 49%. Part of this is thanks to the ongoing de-carbonisation of the grid
- Increased its NABERS energy rating from 4.5 to 5.5 out of a possible 6 stars
- Gained a Renewable Energy Indicator (REI) of 42% – this means 42% of the building’s energy comes from renewable sources. This figure is reported as part of the NABERS certification process
“The grant process was extremely easy and the City of Sydney was extremely helpful in guiding us in the right direction. I don’t think we would have accomplished as much as we have and improved our building’s carbon footprint unless we had help from the City of Sydney and its grants.”
– Mel Meek, building manager
