Bendigo Truss: Building a cleaner, greener future
The Bendigo building industry is riding a wave of heightened business activity propelled by an average annual growth in population of 1.4 percent and more and as more new homes are being built, responsible business owners continue to look for ways to save money on their energy bills.
“A saving is a saving and it’s a step in the right direction,” Bendigo Truss managing director Geoff Holland said.
Mr Holland recently took part in the Energy Efficiency in Industry Program (EEIP) organised by the City of Greater Bendigo and energy retailer Origin Energy to learn how to combat the challenges associated with managing a big and expanding business and containing costs and energy usage.
The company has been providing frames and trusses for the local rand regional building industry for the past 30 years.
As a result of his participation in the program, and site visits from Origin Energy engineers, Mr Holland has initiated several initiatives and energy savings measures including:
• Changes to the operation and management of computer systems throughout the workplace,
• A focus on identifying and repairing any leakages of compressed air used in the business,
• Replacing inefficient hot water urns with a single instantaneous hot water system,
• Fitting radiant panel heaters with timers, and
• Monitoring the flow of three phase power used on the premises with the assistance of Origin Energy.
“We’re trying to do the right thing in what we do around the workplace,” Mr Holland said.
Computer workstations throughout the premises now automatically shut down if they are not in use for a prescribed period, and apart from the company’s main server, all computers are shut down at the end of each day to save energy, money and to prolong the life of the appliance.
After completing an exercise in monitoring three phase power throughout the factory with the assistance of Origin Energy, Mr Holland has conducted a review of usage and charges that has led to some substantial changes in efficiencies and tariffs.
“We work in an industry where our customers value the environmental value of our products, and we believe this commitment to the environment should also exist in the workplace, and that’s partly why we took part in the Energy Efficiency in Industry Program,” Mr Holland said.
Case study supplied by Business Development, City of Greater Bendigo.
The Energy Efficiency in Industry Program is sponsored by the Victorian Government,
the City of Greater Bendigo, and Origin Energy.