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BLACKTOWN: SOLAR CITY
NARRATOR: Blacktown in Sydney's Western Suburbs is participating in the Australian Government
Solar Cities program.
JODY MCGANN - BLACKTOWN SOLAR CITY: The Solar Cities program has saved the Blacktown community
over 3 million dollars on their electricity bills. The Solar cities project at Blacktown
is about a whole range of different energy efficiency activities so it includes things
as small as changing your light bulbs in your home, through to being involved in various
pricing trials, through to taking larger steps in terms of energy efficiency through ceiling
insulation trials and solar electricity and solar hot water on your home.
We had 3500 people take up our home energy audits and during those audits we actually
worked with those residents to find ways that they could actually save on their electricity
bills without having to go to large steps or large investments.
BARRY THOMSON - PLUMPTON MARKET PLACE: The great benefit of the Solar Cities program
has been access to a broader range of information and ideas on energy saving initiatives. Some
of the main things we will be doing here is improving our air conditioning system. One
of the systems will actually use fresh air to condition the Mall instead of refrigerated
air. We are replacing all our internal lighting with LED lighting which on the lighting component
will reduce our energy by two-thirds. We are also upgrading other systems so we can control
all the energy usage within the building right down to the finest detail.
ALAN PENDLETON - MAYOR: We have got some three hundred thousand residents now and we will
go to half a million people, and we have to be very conscious of the fact on the demand
on energy for our future and for that reason we are working towards a clean energy future
so our residents can have the energy that they'll need without relying on the finite
gas and oil.
JODY MCGANN - BLACKTOWN SOLAR CITY: The Blacktown Solar City is definitely a stepping stone
to things beyond. All of the education we have provided to the Blacktown community then
can be passed on to the generations beyond to keep this going and have it sustainable
so that it becomes a living and breathing entity as supposed to a trial project.
NARRATOR: The Australian Government Solar Cities program is the story of the many ways
in many places that people are contributing to Australia's clean energy future.