A recent survey by energy management company Energy Action revealed that more than 87% of businesses ranked price the most important consideration when selecting their energy retailer. However, the cost of energy itself is only one portion of the overall price that an organisation pays for its energy supply. Typically, energy charges only make up 40-50% of a bill, with the remainder made up of network, environmental and other service-related charges. The tariffs for network charges vary according to the amount of electricity consumed and when it is used. [ + ]

Companies are continually being challenged to improve productivity to meet consumer demand, while minimising the impact of rising costs associated with energy and raw materials. Remanufacturing allows products to be restored to ‘like new’ or better condition, extending equipment life and enhancing its performance. Julian Needham, Customer Support & Maintenance Operations Manager, Rockwell Automation, discusses the benefits of remanufacturing in the current global environment. [ + ]

The production of some of Australia’s favourite beverages will become greener thanks to a partnership between CO2 Australia and the brewers of the famous Bundaberg Ginger Beer, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks. [ + ]

Curtin University researchers will develop new technology for reducing carbon dioxide emissions after receiving $1 million of state government funding. [ + ]

In August, the Council of Australian Governments will consider the proposed national container deposit scheme (CDS). The scheme, which would involve consumers paying a 10-cent deposit on beverage containers and claiming it back at recycling depots, has attracted a large amount of support from environmental groups - and opposition from the beverages industry. As the national CDS gains further public and political interest, Sustainability Matters takes a look at both sides of the argument so far. [ + ]

The Thiess Services’ Portable Automated Logger System or PALS was recently used for flood monitoring in Victoria. 10 PALS units were deployed to the field to monitor the level and duration of flood inundation. Each unit took only a couple hours to deploy before it began transmitting real-time data at 10-minute intervals back to the hosted website. [ + ]

The ‘virtual control room’ concept for treatment plants and pipeline system operations has been introduced by Water Infrastructure Group. The company partnered with Eurobodalla Shire Council and NSW Department of Public Works to deliver a high-tech Northern Water Treatment Plant at Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast. The Virtual Control Room was recognised at the 2012 Institute of Public Works NSW Engineering Excellence Awards receiving the Innovation in Water Supply and Wastewater - Operations award. [ + ]

Hunter Water needed to improve the efficiency of its Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) due to ageing water infrastructure and tougher environmental legislation. The enhancements included migrating the automation control system over a tight eight-week time period, allowing no room for error or plant downtime. [ + ]

ResourceCo’s recycled cement has been a key component in the refurbishment of the Civil Contractor’s Federation (CCF) head office and training facility redevelopment. The CCF SA’s Centre of Excellence is being showcased as a ‘model’ for best practice environmental and sustainable construction initiatives. [ + ]

AEG Power Solutions’ New Caledonian ecopx hybrid power station is now fully operational. The complete integrated solution was part of a contract signed with OPT (Office des Postes &Telecommunications) in New Caledonia last year. It combines solar and wind energy with batteries, and a genset as emergency back-up. [ + ]

To meet the drinking water supply demands of a regional population that is projected to grow from 70,000 to 120,000 by the end of this decade, the Tweed Shire Council needed to upgrade the 50 million litre per day (MLD) capacity of its existing Bray Park Water Treatment Plant in Murwillumbah, located on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia.The council opted for GE ZeeWeed 500 immersed membrane filtration as a good way to achieve the water quality it desired for a new treatment plant. [ + ]

Lend Lease Apartments’ luxury Convesso Concavo development in Victoria Harbour, Docklands, Melbourne, had to meet a number of design criteria to achieve an industry rating of ‘4 Star Green Star’ for Multi-Unit Residential buildings, as defined and audited by the Green Building Council of Australia. By adopting a cloud-based energy management solution, Lend Lease with Fujitsu and Switch Automation were able to integrate new networking, automation and monitoring technologies together to enable a solution that residents could easily use to manage and monitor their own energy usage. The design team at Lend Lease now has the potential to collate this data and make ongoing design refinements. [ + ]

The days have long gone since salt was a valuable commodity and Roman soldiers were paid in it, but for Deakin University’s Research Professor in Public Policy, Professor Michael Porter, the issue of salt, more specifically desalination, will be worth $496,891 in research funding. [ + ]

Almost three-quarters (72%) of Australian firms believe the carbon price is here to stay, in one form or another, and 85% of firms directly impacted already have a carbon reduction strategy in place, according to a new business survey. [ + ]

Solar intermittency - the interruption of solar power due to cloud cover, night-time or the sun simply not shining brightly enough - has been a major factor in preventing Australia from fully embracing solar energy. Now, the CSIRO is working hard to understand how to manage this problem. [ + ]