Perth Voice Interactive

BAYSWATER mayor Sylvan Albert normally prefers looking at the colour blue, but he is determined to make council a healthier shade of green.

The council is installing solar panels and LED lighting at the Bayswater civic centre, improving energy efficiency by 10 to 15 per cent and saving around $18,300 per year.

The panels will be installed this week and the council will begin replacing lights with LED next week.

Staff will also install timers on hot water systems.

An energy audit on the centre showed the building was “quiet efficient”, but further improvements could be made.

Cr Albert says it is the first step in making the building even more sustainable: “The 35kw solar system we are installing will operate for 25 years,” he says. “We expect to save $18,300 annually. The system will also reduce the energy usage by 56,200 kWh or 46.01 tonnes of carbon.”