Environment and Resource Efficiency Plans.
In 2008 new legislative requirements came into force applying to premises that use large amounts of water and energy. These new requirements are outlined in the Environment Protection (Environment and Resource Efficiency Plans) Regulations 2007.
Under the regulations, companies needed to register with EPA Victoria before 31 March 2008 if they used more than 100 TJ energy or 120 ML water in 2006-2007. A web-based calculator is available to help calculate whether a site exceeds the thresholds; this self-assessment tool can be accessed here. Companies which have now exceeded these limits can sign up on on EPA's EREP registration webpage.
Plans for implementation of improvement actions with payback periods of three years or less must then be identified and submitted to EPA. Implementation of these actions is then to occur from 2011 to 2014 together with annual progress reporting.
While mandatory EREP requirements will only apply to quite large sites, the principles and potential benefits through savings may also apply to smaller sites. The ideas, methods and tools applied in the EREP program may in some cases be cost-effectively applied to such smaller sites. In general, the gathering of information and determination of viability over a 3 year period is most effectively handled in-house.
For smaller businesses, we can help design and implement programs based on the EREP approach that may also be cost neutral over time and thereby help save money on an ongoing basis.