Junee Community Power Inc. officially launched the Junee Community Energy Efficiency Project this morning with a $15,000 boost from the NSW Government.
The project brings together Junee High School students and teachers, community members and academics to research energy usage in Junee and look at ways of bringing down bills.
According to a recent St Vincent’s report, Junee has the fifth highest rate of power disconnections in NSW due to energy poverty. Ms Cooke said she was thrilled to see the community and students so galvanised and working together for an incredible goal.
“I’m so proud of the Junee Community Power group for grabbing the bull by the horns and taking practical steps to tackle such an important issue which affects so many of us, whether we are aware of it or not,” she said.
“Energy efficiency isn’t just a modern buzzword, it absolutely is a hugely important shift in the way we all think about how we use energy.”
The Office of Environment and Heritage is investing $15,000 in the project through the Regional Sustainability Innovation Program.
This project will involve data collected by students and community members in testing local homes. Stage five students and community members were recently trained in the use of blower door technology and infra-red cameras to identify air leakage.
It’s the first time data will be collected from outside metropolitan areas in NSW.
Chair of Junee Community Power Inc. and the project’s founder, Dennis Lambert, said the impacts of the project will resonate for generations.
“The kids will be able to talk to their parents about energy efficiency, and when they go to a business they’ve got these skills that they can start talking about,” he said.
“It’s really putting them into a future view that once they’ve got this knowledge now, they’ll use it for years to come.”
