Green Strata

Smart Blocks is a new, national program helping apartment owners save money by improving the energy efficiency of common property.

Check it out and register your building at www.smartblocks.com.au.

How do we make our Residential Apartment Buildings more sustainable?

No one person has all the answers - but collectively we as owners have all the answers.

No two buildings are the same - but each one can learn from others.

There is no magic formula out there, and no-one is going to write us a manual. We believe that the magic will come through owners sharing what could be done and what has been done, to help us all learn and accelerate the progress of all strata owners.

This site is for owners and their owners corporations to learn, find and share information about making our buildings more sustainable.

What does a "Green" building look like?

There are two 'standards' for building new sustainable apartment buildings and complexes – one voluntary, one mandatory. While some of the options are not possible to retrofit to existing buildings, they do give us insight into what is possible.

BASIX, the Building Sustainability Index - that ensures new homes are designed and built to use less water and energy.

Green Star - a voluntary environmental rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of buildings.

From these, the knowledge and experiences of owners, and excluding structural options that are cost-prohibitive in existing buildings, we can start to identify all the opportunities for improving the sustainability of the common property for our residential apartment buildings.

Smart Blocks creating impetus for energy upgrades

Category: Energy, Strata 101

Topic: energy consumption, legislation

13/06/2013

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore officially launched the Smart Blocks program to a packed audience in central Sydney on Wednesday night.

Smart Blocks is a national program aimed at helping owners and managers of apartment buildings improve energy efficiency by helping to overcome barriers to upgrading. Already over 70 buildings across the country have signed up.

Read the full article by Cameron Jewell in The Fifth Estate

Smart Blocks helps save up to 30 per cent on electricity

Category: Energy

Topic: energy consumption

01/06/2013

A national initiative launched today by Federal Energy Minister Gary Gray encourages apartment owners and managers to improve energy efficiency across their building's profile, potentially saving 20 to 30 per cent in electricity costs.

The Smart Blocks program provides an on-line energy efficiency toolkit for residential owner corporations, building facility managers and contractors around Australia.

Read the full media release

Sydney Water - Individual metering of units

Category: Water

Topic: water consumption, water meters

10/12/2012

Sydney Water is introducing optional arrangements for developers to implement individual cold water metering of multi-level units. This optional period allows industry to transition to the new requirements that will become mandatory in late 2013/14. Unit developments that are already under construction can continue while providing adequate time for hydraulic designers to meet the new requirements.

NSW Strata Law Review - Invitation to Comment

Category: Strata 101

Topic: legislation

17/09/2012

The NSW Government is currently reviewing the strata and community title laws and wants to hear your views.

A discussion paper has been released examining a wide range of matters relating to strata governance, financial management, building management and handling of disputes.

The closing date for submissions is 15 November 2012.