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                    Sustainable apartments

                    Looking up at high-rise building with blue sky in the background.
                    Approximately 83 per cent of residents within the City of Melbourne live in apartments. These vertical communities pose a different set of challenges for owners and renters who are looking to reduce their energy and water use, and to better manage their waste.

                    Well performing, efficient buildings cost less money to run however the process of how to do this can seem confusing or daunting to navigate.  The City of Melbourne can help apartment owners, residents, building and strata managers better manage their energy, water and waste. 

                    High Life Expo

                    Do you want to know how to reduce energy bills in the common areas of your apartment building? Are you motivated to put solar panels on the roof of your apartment building? Or perhaps you want to hear how to better manage waste? Come along to the High Life Expo to learn about sustainability and resilience solutions for your unit or apartment building. 

                    The High Life Expo is a free event supported by City of Melbourne which will cover a range of topics including solar and renewable energy, electrification, planting for cooling, apartment living for renters, better waste management, building community and more. In addition to the expo, there are resources, guides and case studies​ for improving sustainability and resilience in your home.​

                    NABERS for Apartment Buildings

                    The City of Melbourne is excited to be working with the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) team to roll out a brand new, national efficiency rating tool for the apartment sector. NABERS will allow apartment blocks to easily identify how to future proof their buildings and make significant savings in their common area bills.

                    Find out more about NABERS for Apartment Buildings. For more information on becoming a NABERS for Apartment Buildings assessor, download NABERS for Apartment Buildings (PDF 1.9 MB) from the Department of Planning and Environment, NSW.

                    Did you know?
                    More than 83 per cent of City of Melbourne’s residents live in apartments. Each year apartment living contributes to:
                    • 22 per cent of the city’s water usage
                    • nine per cent of greenhouse gas emissions
                    • more than 20,500 tonnes of waste.

                    Case study

                    Hero Apartments

                    The owners of the Hero Building installed 200 solar panels that will generate around 53,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per year. The panels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 66 tonnes each year - the equivalent of the annual electricity usage of more than 13 residential homes.

                    Resources

                    Good practice guide: Multi-unit facilities management

                    You can also make a difference in your building’s sustainability by changing how things are operated and maintained. The Good practice guide: Multi-unit residential facilities management outlines how to improve the sustainability and efficiency of your building. The Guide was developed by the Facility Management Association of Australia and contains useful information for residents, apartment and unit owners, owners corporations, strata committee members or managers, building managers, developers and service providers.

                    More information

                    • Consumer Affairs Victoria has a range of resources to help apartment owners understand the ins and outs of owners corporations.
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