Innovative behaviour change initiative for Perth

Leading-edge techniques in voluntary behaviour change will be employed to help Perth householders become more efficient in their use of energy, water, car travel and waste management.

The techniques will be used by engineering, sciences and project delivery firm Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), which has been engaged to deliver a Living Smart program, as part of the Perth Solar City (PSC) program - an Australian government initiative.

The project is being led by Western Power, which is joined by a consortium of industry leaders including the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council, Mojarra, Prospero Productions, Solahart, Sunpower and Synergy.

SKM Practice Leader for Behaviour Change Liz Ampt said the PSC program is the only one (of seven projects Australia wide) offering an intensive behaviour-change component such as Living Smart.

“As the community engagement component of PSC, the Living Smart service will be offered to about 10,000 households in selected areas of Perth’s eastern region, from April 2010 onwards,” Ampt said.

“Via one-on-one conversations, Living Smart provides individually tailored information and advice to households, to enable them to be more efficient in their use of energy, water, car travel and waste disposal,” she said.

“Living Smart program participants will be encouraged to engage with other Perth Solar City offerings such as free home eco-consultations and heavily discounted solar PV and solar hot water systems,” Ampt added.

The program uses SKM’s experience in behaviour change applications such as the successful WaterSmart program in Melbourne and Geelong, which involved 23,000 households, and the TravelSmart program on Queensland’s Gold Coast.