Canterbury Council cooperation earns international acclaim

An energy saving scheme in which Christchurch City Council staff work with smaller local bodies in the region has earned international acclaim.

The Canterbury initiative was the only New Zealand entry to be selected for inclusion in the latest Energy Globe publication of the world’s best energy conservation projects. The Austria based judging panel was selecting from more than 1300 entries from organisations in almost 100 countries.

Leonid Itskovich, the CCC’s energy manager, says the winning project was the result of work he did from 2000 to 2002 with the Hurunui District Council, one of the country’s smaller local bodies.

“It’s pretty simple,” he says. “Small councils like Hurunui, there’s no way they can afford a fulltime energy manager. What we did was use the Christchurch City Council’s experience to help them save money and begin switching to renewable energy sources.”

The partnership resulted in a 17 per cent cut in Hurunui DC’s energy costs, lowered peak demand, and cut greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) emissions.

The Christchurch City Council was paid by the District Council for the energy manager’s time and the scheme has now been expanded to include Banks Peninsula, Waimakariri and Mackenzie district councils.

More information, call Leonid Itskovich on (03) 941 8793.

Information about the Energy Globe 2002 awards is on the Internet, at www.esv.or.at

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