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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. 

                    The High Life Series

                    Do you want to know how to reduce the bills within the common areas of your apartment block? Are you motivated to put solar PV on the roof of your apartment block? Or perhaps you want to better manage the waste within your community? Come along to the High Life Series to learn about basic governance within your strata community. 

                    Common feedback we receive from apartment residents is that you’d like to instigate positive and sustainable change but there isn’t enough information available on how to start the process. Understanding your role is the first step to driving change in your apartment block. 

                    The High Life Series is a free workshop series coordinated by the City of Melbourne and Strata Communities Australia (SCA).  

                    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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