The Victorian Government will be closing the Transitional Feed-in Tariff by 30 September 2012. This tariff offers eligible properties with small-scale solar PV systems of five kilowatts or less a minimum credit of 25 cents per kilowatt hour for excess electricity fed back into the grid. [ + ]

The retail property group Westfield’s corporate headquarters under the iconic Centrepoint Tower were designed to minimise the use of natural resources, provide a more productive and comfortable workspace for staff and target a 5-star NABERS energy rating and a 6-star Green Star rating. [ + ]

Following 13 months of critical execution to keep complete functionality of Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant that processes more than 52% of Melbourne’s waste water, engineering solutions provider O’Donnell Griffin completed the electrical works component of the wet weather upgrade project. [ + ]

Thermal survey switchboard reports are a valuable business document that can lower insurance premiums and help businesses save money. [ + ]

Collaborating with Philips, Franklin Healthcare set out to renovate its facility so it would have a residential feel, giving patients as much autonomy as possible in a clinical setting. [ + ]

Philips Lighting has donated a range of state-of-the-art LED lighting solutions for the Sydney Story Factory and Martian Embassy in Redfern to help inspire young writers. [ + ]

Is Fair Work Australia’s decision on urine testing a storm in a sample cup or is just taking the proverbial? The decision has drawn comment from all areas of industry, with unions and industry bodies all contributing their two cents’ worth. [ + ]

The cost of powering lights, which is around 15 to 25% of the electricity bill for NSW businesses, can be cut by as much as 82%, according to the NSW Government. [ + ]

GE Lighting’s design team recently retrofitted the lighting system for dozens of Hollys Coffee branches across Korea with its Energy Smart LED PAR30 lights. [ + ]

There’s a quiet revolution underway. But instead of changing the balance of power, this revolution involves changing something rather more mundane: light bulbs. [ + ]

The complexity of combined business IT systems has lead to a proliferation of hardware installations. When adding a major new software system, the safest option has often been to install it on its own dedicated server, rather than risk unforeseen problems from resource conflict or software compatibility with other software systems. Thus data centres evolved with ever increasing numbers of servers, many running at as little as 5 to 10% capacity, contributing to the fact that IT power consumption already has a larger carbon footprint than the airline industry. [ + ]

The phasing out of the ubiquitous 50 W 12 V MR16 dichroic mirror reflector halogen lamp in Australia poses some significant challenges. Lighting Council Australia estimates there are some 300 million downlights in Australia using these MR16 lamps - hence there is a lot at stake in getting the right replacement for these products. [ + ]

Australia is currently examining the option to implement the New Zealand Energy Star program for LED and CFL lighting, said Melanie Slade, Director, Lighting and Equipment Energy Efficiency, Australian Government in her recent keynote address at SPARC Design 2012. [ + ]

Within renewable energy there are many different technologies: wind energy, solar thermal energy and solar electric energy known as photovoltaics or PV. Although some electrical mechanics would be involved in the wind farm industry and possibly the solar thermal power industry, it is the PV industry which has seen the demand for electrical contractors in recent years. The growth in this market has been substantial. [ + ]

In a carbon-constrained economy, green building is the way of the future. And for people in electrical trades, this means staying ahead of the game by learning about emerging technologies and installation processes required to gain Green Star certification. [ + ]