Not-for-profit aged care provider, Peninsula Villages, is on its way to becoming more energy and water-efficient with solar panels and grey water storage tanks have been installed to help reduce utility costs and the Village’s carbon footprint.
Further to the Umina site, Springwood Village in Ettalong – the organisation’s new affordable housing for seniors – has achieved a 5-star rating due each new unit being outfitted with solar hot water and cottages being provided additional water tanks for gardening use.
Peninsula Villages embraced the resource saving strategies following the launch of the Government’s renewable power incentives which provides individuals and businesses across Australia with the purchase cost of solar panels.
Chief Executive Officer, Shane Neaves, explained that the Village has installed three lots of 100KW solar panels on multiple roof spaces across the Umina Beach facility.
“Energy initiatives underway at Peninsula Villages have already saved approximately $25K per quarter and we foresee this increasing as we continue to make changes that will further reduce our energy consumption,” said Mr Neaves.
“Aged care facilities consume a sizeable amount of energy, so using our roof space to generate power is a smart way to reduce our dependency on the grid.
“By making our facility more energy-efficient, these solar projects will help bring our costs down, freeing up funds that can be invested back into other areas of our operations,” Mr Neaves continued.
The Senior management team is also focused on how the installation will assist them in reducing their overall carbon emissions.
“Climate change is certainly a growing concern, and this initiative shows the benefits of using solar energy to both save our industry money and reduce our carbon footprint.
“Peninsula Villages are committed to reducing our environmental impact – both for ourselves and future generations,” explained Mr Neaves.
In addition to the energy saving strategy, the aged care provider has installed multiple rainwater tanks which are being used to water the communal gardens – rather than city water – again, saving the Village money and easing the strain on Government resources.
“We’ve had a lot of rain recently, so it’s easy to forget that Greater Sydney is in drought and fairly recently dam levels were dropping faster than they have in decades,” commented Mr Neaves.
“As a community, we need to continually look for ways to reduce our consumption – this is just one part of a broader strategy for Peninsula Village to really make a positive impact,”
The reduce and reuse strategy has carried forward in other areas of the operation, with Peninsula Villages teaming up with the Rotary Club of Umina Beach to rehome the beds from Jack Aldous house that are no longer required due to residents moving into the new state-of-the-art Pozieres House development.
“Moving into 2021 we will be looking for more way to reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle across all of our Residences,” shared Mr Neaves.
“I am pleased to see the team embracing these new technologies and suggesting new ways in which we can make a positive impact,” said Mr Neaves.
For more information on Peninsula Villages visit peninsulavillage.com.au or phone 02 4344 9199.