Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT city council will test out its employees’ underarm deodorants later this year when it turns off the air-conditioning mid-summer.

As part of a new high-tech energy saving program, energy management company EnerNOC will pay the city about $10,000 annually to switch off the air-con if the state’s electricity grid gets overwhelmed. EnerNOC recoups costs via the Independent Market Operator.

Vincent mayor Alannah MacTiernan doesn’t think employees will get too hot under the collar.

“It won’t be that uncomfortable; it’s only for 30 minutes at the most,” Ms MacTiernan said.

Ms MacTiernan acknowledges that under the deal, the city may be required to turn the system off for four hours, but says it’s very rare that happens.

Blackout prevention

EnerNOC’s business development manager Jeff Jumonville told the Voice 400 Perth companies had signed up to its DemandSMART blackout prevention program.

Having them on-call saved the state government from having to build a power station that would operate for about one day a year to ensure supply is maintained.

“In the last six years there have been six [blackout] events, so that’s about one every year; but there were three in 2011 and none in 2012 and none in 2013,” he said.

Ms MacTiernan said last year the city’s energy bill was $1.83 million.

“As electricity prices spiral we’re seizing new solutions like this to reduce our energy costs and carbon footprint,” she said.

“This is one way we can help the environment by relieving the grid of excess demand at critical times whilst receiving fiscal compensation for our energy efficiency.

“Team this with being able to view our energy use data in real time for better insights and management and it’s a real no-brainer—everyone benefits from this program,” said the mayor.”

Power for street lighting, irrigation pumps and bores for parks and gardens have contributed to the city’s escalating energy costs over the last five years.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK