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The Energy Efficiency Opportunities program encourages large energy-using businesses to improve their energy efficiency. It does this by requiring businesses to identify, evaluate and report publicly on cost effective energy savings opportunities.
The program's requirements are set out in the Energy Efficiency Opportunities legislation, which came into effect on 1 July 2006. Industry guidelines and other program support material are also available to help large energy-using businesses understand their obligations.
For further information see the summary of program requirements.
Energy Efficiency Opportunities is designed to lead to:
- improved identification and uptake of cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities
- improved productivity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- greater scrutiny of energy use by large energy consumers.
Participation in Energy Efficiency Opportunities is mandatory for corporations that use more than 0.5 petajoules (PJ) of energy per year. This is approximately equivalent to the energy used by 10,000 households. There are more than 220 corporations (incorporating around 1200 subsidiaries) registered for the Energy Efficiency Opportunities program.
As a guide to businesses, those using more than 0.5 petajoules (PJ) a year may typically have an annual energy bill of more than $3-4 million for gas, $6-11 million for electricity, or $18-21 million for diesel fuel, depending on fuel prices. Put another way, 0.5 PJ approximately equals 139,000 MWh, 13 ML diesel, 9000 tonnes of LNG or 10,000 tonnes of LPG.
The program applies to corporations in all sectors of the economy. Corporations that use more than 0.5 PJ of energy per year are together responsible for more than 60 percent of the total amount of energy used by businesses, and around 45 percent of all energy used in Australia.
Businesses participating in Energy Efficiency Opportunities are required to undertake a detailed energy assessments in order to identify opportunities to improve energy use, and to report publicly on the outcomes.
Building on previous work in energy efficiency
The aim of the Energy Efficiency Opportunities program is to encourage companies to achieve significantly improved energy productivity to benefit themselves and the wider economy. The approach is based on the experiences of businesses and governments in energy efficiency programs such as those run by state and territory governments (for example SEAV in Victoria, SEDA/DEUS in NSW and SEDO in WA) and the Energy Efficiency Best Practice program (EEBP), which ran across a range of industry sectors from 1998-2003.
Energy Efficiency Opportunities is building on the experience gained from these and other programs by encouraging a ‘whole of system’ approach to energy management. It supports a collaborative approach to energy efficiency assessments that make use of and develop a wide range of skills and experiences, both internal and external to companies.
If you are having trouble viewing links or finding information on the Energy Efficiency Opportunities program, phone the EEO Hotline on 1300 799 186.