In September, the NSW Government established the Green Business Program, which provides funding for commercial and industrial water and energy savings projects.

The program builds on the former Water and Energy Savings Funds which were replaced by the Climate Change Fund under legislation in July and will extend access to water saving funding to businesses across NSW for the first time.

NSW Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water Phil Koperberg said the fund would help address one of the major barriers for business water and energy savings - the up front cost.

“This money will help bridge the gap between the cost of the investment and the payback in savings on the bills,” he said.

He said the NSW Green Business Program under is expected to help business save 3.5 billion litres of water, 60,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 65,000 MWh of electricity a year.

The Clean Energy Council welcomes the new program.

“The Green Business Program marks another key step towards a clean energy future,” said Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Officer Dominique La Fontaine. “Australian businesses have huge potential to increase productivity by reducing energy and water wastage. This $30 million Program can provide the basis for a strong partnership between Government and business to tap this resource in NSW.”

The $30 million is in addition to the $310 million already announced for the Climate Change Fund. The fund includes $100 million for a Residential Rebate Program providing rebates for hot water systems, insulation and rainwater tanks, $100 million for a Recycling and Stormwater Harvesting Program, $40 million for a Renewable Energy Development Fund and $20 for million School Energy Efficiency program.

Ms La Fontaine also congratulates the NSW Government on the establishment of the high level Taskforce to build on the existing Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (GGAS).

Launching the taskforce, Mr Koperberg said GGAS had so far helped drive down CO2 emissions by almost 50 million tonnes since it was introduced.

“We’re a world leader in driving down CO2 emissions,” he said. “But industry needs greater certainty about the future of the scheme because the Federal Government has still not released details of its plans for a national carbon trading scheme.

The NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme is still the second biggest greenhouse gas emission trading scheme in the world and is the only one to directly support energy efficiency projects, such as the millions of efficient light bulbs that have been given to households across NSW.

Mr Koperberg said GGAS would continue in NSW until the start of 2021 as per existing legislation or it could be incorporated into a new national scheme.

He said the key challenge for the working group is to prepare for the introduction of a new national emissions trading scheme. This will mean focussing on how to preserve the value of GGAS investments during the transition and exploring how aspects of GGAS - including its demand side abatement provisions - could be included or operate in parallel with a national scheme.

The Council believes that NSW should continue to build on its emissions trading scheme.

“While the forthcoming national carbon emission trading scheme (to which both the Federal Government and the Opposition are now committed) will mark a major breakthrough, we should continue to build on foundations of the NSW scheme which started emissions trading,” Ms La Fontaine said.

“This Taskforce should ensure that the national emissions trading scheme builds on the best elements of the existing GGAS and overseas experience.”