Sustainability (ESD) assessments are specifically tailored to meet the needs of a business owner, homeowner or renter. While there may be a shared desire to reduce their carbon footprint and/or costs, circumstances will vary considerably, therefore the scope of the assessment is determined in an initial consultation with the customer.
In the broadest terms, the scope of a Sustainability Assessment could include, in addition to energy usage, water usage and waste management, life cycle assessment (LCA) and indoor air quality (IEQ).
A typical business assessment will include:
- Energy audit and report that includes spreadsheets indicating estimated costs and payback periods, return on investment and carbon reduction impacts of recommended options.
- Water efficiency audit and report estimating water savings and carbon reduction impacts of recommended options
- Waste audit based on inspection of current waste management and estimated volumes/weights based on invoices over a 12 month period
A typical residential assessment will include:
- Thermal performance assessment of existing thermal envelope or structure
- Energy audit
- Water fixtures audit
- Waste management assessment of current practices and suggestions for improved efficiency
- Discussion of indoor environment quality (IEQ), with a specific emphasis on air quality
Other available options include:
- Thermal imaging analysis of existing building
- Computer modelling to simulate the thermal performance of building, using CSIRO’s AccuRate software
- Simulation of different design options; used especially for new build and renovations
- Embodied energy of materials in new build and renovation
- Air quality testing for CO and CO2
