Sustainability assessments are tailored to meet the needs of a business owner or homeowner or renter; while each may have a shared desire to reduce their carbon footprint and/or costs, the available options can vary considerably.

In the broadest terms, the scope of a Sustainability Assessment would include, in addition to energy usage, water usage and waste management, life cycle assessment 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 fixture 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
  • Energy audit similar to above
  • Water fixture audit similar to above
  • Waste management assessment of current practices and suggestions for improvement
  • 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