Insights and observations from our practice and elsewhere
The electricity market is about to turn upside down
On 31 August 2018, three public advocacy groups wrote to the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) asking for it to change the rules governing how the Australian electricity market works. Their request? Allow consumers to be paid for electricity they avoid using....
What is a reasonable target for energy savings during COVID-19?
The number of people working in office buildings has fallen dramatically since COVID-19 control measures were introduced. In this short video we illustrate, with real-world data*, the range of energy efficiency outcomes that commercial office building owners and...
Can HVAC systems spread COVID-19?
All buildings are created for people and building owners must ensure they are safe. But unfortunately, as with most things in life, there is no guidebook setting out the ‘ideal’ way to achieve that outcome. This is especially true in a pandemic. Over recent days,...
How to get the best NABERS rating you can in the context of COVID-19
[Note: information regarding the final position of NABERS on COVID-19 occupancy changes and the practical implications is updated in our new blog post of 8 July 2020.] The COVID-19 response has dramatically impacted the operation of commercial buildings. In this short...
Great building managers are making the most of a bad situation
If a building’s occupancy drops by 50-80%, by how much should its energy use go down? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to that question – it depends on many factors, some of them commercial, some highly technical. And, as many of the amazing facilities and...
Keeping an eye on the energy efficiency ball is crucial during the pandemic
What happens to energy efficiency when people desert the CBDs because of the COVID-19 pandemic to work from home, and then send energy consumption through the roof with their domestic consumption? The Fifth Estate considers a variety of perspectives - including that...
What does COVID-19 mean for building energy performance ?
With the significant changes being experienced by almost every sector of the economy due to COVID-19, we’re seeing a number of important impacts on building energy performance, but its not quite as straightforward as “less people working in offices = less...
Buildings Alive responding to COVID-19
While our expertise at Buildings Alive is in building energy performance, people are in fact at the heart of everything we do. It is people that both occupy and manage buildings and they have the largest effects on energy consumption. By supporting people –...
Our video introduction to peak demand management in commercial buildings
The management of peak demand is becoming a major concern for electricity supply systems as the influence of renewables and residential air-conditioning grows, weather becomes more extreme, and aging baseload power generators are retired. A large portion of a typical...
Reloved buildings: people-powered energy efficiency opportunities
Industry publisher The Fifth Estate has today released its “Reloved Buildings” special report, which focuses on the opportunities and attraction of older buildings. The Reloved Buildings report includes a perspective from Buildings Alive CEO Craig Roussac on the...
Australia’s most likeable NABERS
Congratulations to our clients Brookfield, Charter Hall, Stockland and Property NSW for being rated among Australia’s best performing office portfolios …
Buildings Alive joins RACE for 2030 CRC bid
Buildings Alive has signed on as an industry partner to a major energy innovation research initiative application: the Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030 CRC). The vision of the RACE for 2030 CRC is to conduct...