City of stars: Maitland Administration Centre scores 5.5 star NABERS energy rating

Maitland City Council has taken another step forward in its sustainability journey, with the Maitland Administration Centre officially receiving a 5.5 star energy rating. 

Provided by the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), the 5.5 star result puts the Administration Centre between the ‘Excellent’ (5 stars) and ‘Marketing Leading’ (6 stars) categories. 

It’s one of only six 5.5 star ratings in the wider Hunter region and the best NABERS rating of any building situated in the Maitland Local Government Area (LGA).

Maitland City Council Manager Environment and Sustainability, Catherine Pepper says ‘we were able to achieve this result by keeping sustainability front of mind during both the design and construction phases of the Administration Centre.’

‘Our staff worked closely with industry experts during the design process to ensure we built a new admin centre that optimises our energy efficiency,’ Ms Pepper said. 

‘This included modelling the thermal performance of the building design, assessing the impact of our air conditioning systems on energy consumption and onsite power generation from rooftop solar panels.’

This approach to facility design is embedded in Maitland City Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which highlights the importance of using sustainable design principles to reduce the environmental impacts of new and upgraded facilities. 

The new energy rating has also been handed down as Council prepares to run on 100 per cent renewable energy from 1 January 2025. 

More than 10,000 street lights and major facilities such as the Maitland Aquatic Centre, Council offices and Maitland Regional Art Gallery will operate on green energy through a new six year contract with Iberdrola Australia, which is expected to save around $564,000 over the life of the contract. 

Maitland City Council General Manager Jeff Smith said Maitland Council would continue to show leadership in this space in the coming years.

‘One of the targets in our Environmental Sustainability Strategy is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. Our renewable energy contract means we’ve achieved that target five years ahead of schedule.’

For more information on Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy, visit mait.city/ESS.