— Mount Alexander Sustainability Group
Resources
DIY - Actions
Our houses are a great source of green house gas emissions.
The Australian residential sector is responsible for around 24% of overall electricity use and more than 10% of total carbon emissions in Australia.
The Victorian gas sector contributes to around 17% of our state’s net greenhouse gas emissions and must play its part in reducing emissions over time.
We offer here some suggestions of how you can take action in your home in the choices you make when making purchases, My Next Step, and also in planning Renovations and Retrofitting, Retrofit Options.
DIY - My Next Step
You will have to make some decisions that will affect the energy efficiency, and ultimately the energy cost, of your dwelling. This guide aims to give you usefu information to do this.
This guide addresses the following:
- What should my next car be
- What should my next hot water service
- What should my heating be
- What should my cooling be
- What should my next cooker be
- What should my next Clothes Washer, Dishwasher and other appliances be
DIY - My Retrofit Priorities
The older – pre 1991 built houses in the shire, typically are responsible for about 7.6 tonnes of GHG emissions per year. The 510 houses identified in the Zero Emission Retrofits in Mt Alexander Shire would account for 3,876 tonnes of GHG emissions saved if fully retrofitted.
The guide will help you to plan these:
- Can I get an independent assessment
- What should my insulation be
- If I re-roof – what are my options
- Can I retrofit insulation to walls
- If I re-clad walls – what are my options
- Does my house leak heat
- What can I do to my windows
- Is my Shading sufficient
- What should my heating be
- What should my internal window coverings be
- What should my Lights be
- Should I have a Skylight / Skywindow
The Road To Zero Net
Three key components
MASG text which will refer to Zero Emission Retrofits in Mt Alexander Shire.
We are very excited to say that this project has now launched and we will be working on the initial stages of assessment and data collection over the next year with a master plan ready to release in 2021. The master plan will be developed in full consultation with the community and will provide a framework for how to proceed over the coming years so that we can reach our target of zero net emissions as quickly as possible.
Mt Alexander Net Zero Working Group (MANZWG)
A working group formed to forward the objective of 100% renewable energy use in Mount Alexander Shire and inspire and encourage community focus by telling the stories of projects in town.
MASG Weekly recycling tips
In 2021 we were donated money by a very generous supporter who wanted to help our community get the facts about kerbside recycling. There has been a lot of change and confusion on this topic in recent years and as guidelines change from shire to shire, state to state, people understandably have been left wondering “am I doing this right?”
In 2021 we used some of this donation to published a monthly full-page recycling guide and throughout 2022 we published a short tip every week, both featuring in The Midland Express newspaper.
If you have any questions relating to kerbside recycling you’d like us to factcheck, drop us a line at info@masg.org.au and we’ll look into it for you.
