Here are the presentations from the launch of the Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) Zero Carbon Australia Buildings Plan in Newcastle at the Hunter TAFE Hamilton campus on the 14th November, 2013.

The goal of the plan is to have all Australian buildings being zero carbon in 10 years with current technology. It was a 3-year collaboration of BZE and Melbourne University’s Melbourne Energy Institute, with the help of around 100 of Australia’s best engineers, architects, academics, builders and advisors.
Dr Stephen Bygrave, the Beyond Zero Emissions CEO was the MC on the night, and he set the scene by explaining:

• the implications of dismantling the Carbon Pricing Mechanism. These included not having a legislated cap or limit on emissions in Australia; and the removal of the key institutions and bodies that give independent climate change advice.  Steve said that carbon pricing sets a signal that businesses incorporate into their investment decisions well into the future and provides certainty for them, and
  
• that the average global temperature is increasing 10 times faster than ever before and that we are losing one species per day since they cannot adapt.

There were interesting preliminary talks on commercial, residential and education building sustainability, and these were provided by:

1. Dr Daniel Rowe, CSIRO’s Project Leader of the Solar Desiccant Air Conditioning System. Dan showed how this new solar trigeneration system works (there is no copy of this presentation)

2. Andrew Bagnall, GHD’s Leader of Building Engineering & Sustainability. Andrew explained some great innovative concepts in making commercial buildings sustainable

3. Dan Daly, the University of Wollongong’s “Illawarra Flame” Design Team Member Design Team Member, who was on a Skype session from Wollongong. Dan showed the incredible effort that was put in by all the students into winning the world solar decathlon for sustainable houses, and

4. Hunter TAFE’s Kevin Bryan, the Communication and Engagement Lead of the Digital Learning Project. Kevin , showed Hunter TAFE’s award-winning developments and the new Sustainability Associate degree that has just been finalised. Trent Hawkins, the BZE Director of the Buildings Plan and a mechanical engineer, launched the plan and showed that across all Australia’s buildings we could achieve a:

• 53% reduction in residential energy usage,
• 44% non-residential energy usage,
• 33,000MW installation of rooftop solar based on estimated roof constraints, and
• that the initial investment would be offset by savings on energy bills.