Dexus and Buildcorp win CitySwitch Green Office Awards

Dexus Property Group and Buildcorp have been recognised in the City of Sydney’s CitySwitch Green Office Awards for incorporating measures such as solar panels, improved computer management and lighting into their offices.

Dexus was awarded the CitySwitch NSW Signatory of the Year award in the large office category, while Buildcorp was awarded in the small office category.

“Dexus and Buildcorp have taken innovative approaches to making their buildings more energy efficient,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who presented the awards. “They’ve shown a clear commitment to CitySwitch and in the process reduced their power bills and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Dexus increased its Sydney office’s NABERS rating from 4.0 to 4.5 stars for 2011-12. It reduced its electricity use by 17% or 74,000 kWh, saving $15,500 a year and reducing carbon pollution by 70 tonnes.

The company also installed energy-efficiency measures such as software that reduces the number of computers left on after hours, better air-conditioning controls and a program that enables staff to halve how much they print.

“The carbon neutrality certification for Dexus’s Sydney head office demonstrates the company’s high level of commitment to a sustainable office management and improvement,” the judges said.

Buildcorp installed a 21-kilowatt solar panel system on the roof of its office building in Mallet Street, Camperdown, and installed motion-sensor lighting, which greatly reduces energy consumption.

It has reduced its electricity use by 5580 kWh, saving $1250.81 a year in power bills and 27.8 tonnes of carbon emissions.

The judges said Buildcorp’s use of solar panels was particularly innovative. The company only recently joined CitySwitch and has already reported a 4.5-star NABERS Energy rating.

CitySwitch is Australia’s flagship office energy-efficiency program, with members accounting for nearly two million square metres of commercial space. It began in Sydney in 2005 and went national in 2008.

The program has grown strongly in NSW in 2012, with 157 tenancies now signed up, covering a total of 969,600 m² of office space - 21% more than in 2011.