Smart Energy Savings Program

In this guide:

Energy saving ideas for business

The Queensland Government's Smart Energy Savings Program (SESP) is a legislative initiative introduced through the Clean Energy Act 2008 to drive energy saving improvements in Queensland businesses. The program requires participating businesses to undertake an energy audit, develop an energy savings plan and publish their actions for each relevant site, on a five-yearly cycle.

The SESP seeks to:

increase the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and practices by business
drive organisational behaviour change towards positive energy management practices
improve business competitiveness by reducing energy costs
reduce growth in Queensland's electricity demand
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Queensland's commercial and industrial sectors.

SESP requirements

To complete the SESP process, participating businesses will be required to:

verify their energy use
register to participate in the program
audit energy use and identify energy savings measures
produce an energy savings plan of measures to implement
publish a public commitment on the actions to be taken
annually update the public commitment
in the third year, review progress and report
in the fifth year, collect baseline data for the next cycle.

The audit will need to comply with a level 2 energy audit under Australian Standard AS/NZS 3598:2000, as a minimum requirement.

Energy savings measures are those which improve energy efficiency, energy conservation or energy management.

SESP eligibility

Businesses are required to register their site(s) for the program if the energy consumed at the site(s) in a financial year exceeds regulated energy thresholds. The program will be implemented in levels of energy use (see below), beginning with businesses that have sites that consume between 100 terajoules (TJ) and 500TJ in the 2009-10 financial year. The threshold will be reduced over time to capture smaller energy users.

For the purposes of participation in this program, 'energy' refers to electricity and processed natural gas consumption. A level 2 energy audit compliant to AS/NZ 3598:2000 includes other forms of energy (e.g combined heat and power).

The Department of Energy and Water Supply (DEWS) administers the program. As the Regulator under the Clean Energy Act 2008, the Director-General of DEWS will:

identify program participants for each level of the program
write to businesses directly to inform them of their potential involvement in the program
outline the steps they need to take.

Businesses that are part of a corporate group that uses more than 500TJ of energy a year will be captured by the Commonwealth's Energy Efficiency Opportunities program, and will not be required to participate in the Smart Energy Savings Program.

The energy thresholds and verification or 'trigger' years for the program are as follows:

100TJ but less than 500TJ of electricity or processed natural gas used in the financial year ending 30 June 2010
30TJ but less than 500TJ of electricity or processed natural gas used in the financial year ending on 30 June 2011, 2012, 2013 or 2014
10TJ but less than 500TJ of electricity or processed natural gas used in the financial year ending 30 June 2015.

A registered participating business may nominate a one year period of energy use that will be its verification year. This one year period does not need to be a financial year but would need to enable the applicant to comply with is legislative obligations in regard to conducting the energy audit and developing its energy savings plan.

For more information on the SESP email smartenergy@deedi.qld.gov.au or phone 13 25 23.

Smart Energy Savings Program Public Register

Below is a list of the registered participating businesses in the Smart Energy Savings Program under the Clean Energy Act 2008 (current at 2 May 2012):