As Deans Marsh and District Community Member’s are hopefully aware, Surf Coast Shire Council and Deans Marsh Community Cottage secured grant funding for PowerMaD: a project to identify practical ways to achieve the renewable energy objectives of the Deans Marsh and District community.
To achieve this objective the project appointed two experts: one in community engagement (Jen Lilburn); the other in renewable energy systems (Enhar); and a Community Working Group was formed.
Over the past year, consultants have work closely with this working group through numerous meetings and with community members via two community workshops and two surveys. This has enabled a thorough review and refinement of the community’s renewable energy objectives and has developed a pathway to achieve them.
We are now at the end stage of the project, and we have a Options Engagement report below, that identifies in detail the options Deans Marsh and District community members can choose take to achieve their objectives.
View the PowerMaD Options Engagement Report FINAL here.
NEXT STEPS
Members of the working group met in November detail the next stages for Renewable Action Plan Working Group Meeting – Minutes 17 Nov 2023
As per Item 5 of the Minutes:
Having identified the key components of an action plan, working group members discussed key phases of the plan and the timeline for implementation. It was proposed that:
- Phases 1 and 2 will focus on the top 5 preferred options identified in survey #2.
- In the short-term, Phase 1 will focus on energy efficiency assessments to help households understand what improvements they can make.
- In the medium-term, Phase 2 will focus on supporting households to make suggested improvements by supplying information on products, rebates and subsidies and participating in bulk buy schemes to lower barriers to making improvements.
- In the longer-term, Phase 3 will focus on the two additional options.
- All Phases will be underpinned by campaigns to increase knowledge and awareness of relevant issues and opportunities.
Working group members then discussed Phase 1 in more detail. Inspired by the Queenscliffe Energy Efficient Homes Program, it was proposed that this program be replicated in Deans Marsh and District. In terms of cost, it was noted that:
- Geelong Sustainability (GS) could provide qualified assessors (at $650 per assessment)
- Local volunteers could assist assessments (while learning how to conduct assessments themselves) reducing the cost by $200 per assessment
- Assessments could be eligible for a VEEC subsidy of approx. $150 per assessment if they use the Residential Efficiency Scorecard method
- Grant funding could subsidise the cost by $200 per assessment
- In this scenario, participating households could contribute the balance, being $100 per assessment
The next stages of the project are as follows:
· Working group members to review proposed action plan and provide feedback to by 5pm, Thursday 30 November 2023
· Enhar to review working group’s draft action plan by 7 December 2023
· Working group to finalise action plan at its meeting on 14 December 2023
· Final action plan to be made public by 20 December 2023
For more information or feedback please don’t hestiate to Contact the Cottage on [email protected] or 0499 851 334.