The City of Sydney Council wants to include energy targets in development applications in a bid to make new buildings more energy efficient.
Under a proposal now before the NSW state government, development applications for new office buildings, hotels and shopping centres, and major redevelopments of existing buildings will have to comply with minimum energy ratings from January 2023 and achieve net-zero energy output by 2026.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore, pictured, says the measures could save more than $1.3 billion on energy bills from 2023 to 2040, and help Sydney meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2035.
“Commercial office space, hotels and apartment buildings contribute 68 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in our Local Government Area,” Cr Moore said.
“If we’re to meet our target of net-zero emissions by 2035, we need to ensure this sector is contributing to emissions reduction through increased energy efficiency, on-site renewable energy production and off-site renewable energy procurement.”
Sydney’s proposal will be considered for integration with the Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) now being developed by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.