November Update

Newsletter archive

This newsletter has been retained as a dated collection of updates, with links to current Northmore Gordon guidance.

Publication date: November 1, 2017.

Status note: Deadlines, prices, program settings and event information below belong to the issue date. Use current official sources for present decisions.

What this article reported

Northmore Gordon News Update

No Images? Click here

Helping large business reduce energy costs

From the MD

Craig Morgan

Welcome to the first newsletter in a long, long time. It has been busy!

At Northmore Gordon our focus remains on helping large business reduce energy costs. Our customers are facing more energy cost challenges now than any time in the past 20 years. I don't need to reiterate the issues here, suffice to say that the current political environment and broken energy market has resulted in unsustainable energy prices.

Something has to give.

Will it be you? Your staff? Your business viability? Or can we draw deep on our resourcefulness to improve energy productivity, reduce energy waste, use alternative fuels, and take your business to the next level of energy performance?

I'd like to think the latter is true. Technology costs are reducing, low-hanging fruit re-grows, and we continue to find cost-effective opportunities to reduce energy costs.

Through speaking with our customers, we find that they have three main problems:

This year we introduced a new product to help our customers get the resources they need, address data issues, and achieve their corporate targets. It is called " Virtual Energy Manager", an outsourced support service that is designed to give you direct access to our complete team, and aligns our financial interests with yours. We don't just see ourselves as a service provider, but a partner that is passionately interested in your success.

One article in this newsletter focusses on the availability of grants and incentives. These can help get your project 'over the line' and should be considered.

If you are hurting from high energy costs, or wish to discuss how we can help you, then please call.

Craig Morgan

1300 854 561

National Energy Guarantee

Well, if wasn't so serious the (dis)integration of national energy and climate policy would be comical. The latest proposal to integrate energy and climate policy has now centred on a National Energy Guarantee - an obligation on energy Retailers to provide reliable, sustainable and cost effective electricity. For large energy users this could be a positive if, in the end, it reduces the cost of power.

The result of this policy will potentially be a reduction in wholesale energy prices, and constraints on rises in network costs. However it is likely the state-based energy efficiency schemes, and cost of the existing RET will continue to appear on your bill, and provide some benefits to participants.

Watch this space!

Grants in Victoria

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) have released a $3.8m Climate Change Innovation Grant scheme.

Applications close: 30 Nov 2017

The program focuses on innovative climate change mitigation and adaptation projects across Victoria with a focus on regional areas. Successful projects will receive $50k - $300k in funding.

Northmore Gordon has identified a number of regional projects and programs it intends to submit applications for. If you have other ideas on how we can help, please call.

There are also grants for:

Don't forget about Energy Saving Certificates in NSW & Victoria from complex energy efficiency projects

Recently we calculated energy savings of 39% from a refrigeration upgrade using the latest M&V techniques. That customer stands to generate around 7,000 Energy Saving Certificates (ESCs) and significantly offset the cost of the equipment upgrade.

Our parent business, Wattly Pty Ltd, is accredited to create energy efficiency certificates using the PIAM&V method in NSW, and the Project Based Assessment in Victoria.

At the time of writing, the price of both ESCs and VEECs are trading upwards - meaning they can deliver real value by reducing the cost of doing energy efficiency projects.

Call us to help you understand how.

Want to get paid to turn off electricity for <10 hours per year?

With a potential shortfall in the Reserve capacity in the National Electricity Market this summer, ARENA and AEMO have combined with Demand Response Aggregators to source several hundred MW of voluntary 'demand response', or load shedding.

What you may not know is that you earn money for offering to shed electricity load for <10 hours per year.

We have customers who already do this, earning tens of thousands of dollars to turn off electrical loads for short periods of time.

Call us if you are interested to find out more.

Technology: You _can_ do something about Hydraulic Power Packs

Hydraulic power packs can be significant energy wasters. They often continuously create high pressure oil whether it is used for productive work or not.

Now you can reduce this wasted energy with either new VSD and motor technology, or replace it with high power electric actuators.

Savings can be impressive, up to 70%.

Bioenergy, the ugly duckling of renewables, but AREMI makes a difference

We have to confess - we're fans of bioenergy. It has the ability to provide high temperature steam or power for industry, is renewable if based on appropriate sources, and it is dispatchable. It can be a real alternative to natural gas.

But biomass can be a bit tricky to work with. The supply chain is not mature, and it comes in so many varieties of size, type and moisture content.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to use it for energy where it is easily available, low cost or quality, and has few other uses. And it can now be found more easily using the Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI) project, and of course, a bit of good old fashioned experience.

Melbourne :132 Cremorne Street Cremorne VIC 3121 Australia

Singapore:20 Collyer Quay, #09-01 Singapore 049319

Ph: +61 1300 854 561

Unsubscribe |

How to use this information now

Treat each item as a historical snapshot. Confirm the current reporting period, program status, market date and official guidance before applying it to a project or compliance decision.

Separate source-reported facts from forecasts, targets and commentary. For a current project, retain the official source, version, effective date, assumptions and decision record in the evidence file.

What is the November 2017 Update newsletter and who authored it?

The November Update is a newsletter published by Northmore Gordon and authored by Craig, a mechanical engineer with 30 years of professional experience. Craig brings more than fifteen years of practical expertise assisting organisations with energy management, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and climate change impact assessment. The newsletter represents our perspective on current developments relevant to energy and carbon management in the Australian market during November 2017.

Why would organisations focus on grants and funding in November 2017?

The newsletter is tagged with 'Grants,' reflecting the importance of securing external funding for energy and emissions projects. Our guidance emphasises that grants, certificates, and finance should be assessed separately on their own merits. November timing may have aligned with funding programme announcements, application deadlines, or the end-of-financial-year planning cycle when organisations review capital budgets and funding eligibility for upcoming projects.

What does the Virtual Energy Manager concept address?

The Virtual Energy Manager topic, tagged alongside the newsletter, reflects a service model for managing energy performance without requiring a full-time onsite role. This approach supports organisations in implementing energy management systems—structured frameworks that include leadership, policy, objectives and ongoing improvement. We describe energy management as turning assessments into sustained operational improvement through designated responsibility, regular performance reviews, and documented action registers.

How do the funding and energy management topics connect in November 2017?

Securing grants and managing energy performance are complementary activities. Our approach emphasises that investment cases should identify funding pathways early—before installation—to preserve evidence and maintain eligibility. A Virtual Energy Manager role would coordinate funding applications, track measurement and verification requirements, and maintain the opportunity register and action plans that underpin both energy-project investment cases and post-implementation performance monitoring.

What practical outcomes would organisations expect from Northmore Gordon's November 2017 guidance?

Based on our service range, organisations would receive proportionate assessment of their energy position, identification of funding-eligible opportunities, and support structures for ongoing management. The November 2017 period would have covered grant discovery and application support, energy auditing to identify and prioritise opportunities, measurement planning for projects requiring verification, and the establishment of energy management systems with clear roles and review cycles to sustain improvements over time.

Why separate grants, certificates, and finance in energy project planning?

Our guidance establishes that these three support mechanisms operate under different rules, timelines, and evidence requirements. Grants require proving applicant and project eligibility within specific programme rounds and deadlines. Environmental certificates depend on activity eligibility, measurement standards, and scheme-specific methodology. Finance involves borrower assessment and repayment terms. Combining these without understanding their distinct requirements can lead to missed deadlines, ineligible applications, or overestimated project funding. The November 2017 update likely emphasised this distinction to help organisations structure their funding strategy correctly.

How does energy management relate to securing and delivering funding outcomes?

Energy management systems establish the operational structures necessary to deliver funded projects and demonstrate their results. After securing grant or certificate support, organisations need documented procedures for implementing improvements, monitoring performance, and maintaining records. We describe energy management as including leadership commitment, defined responsibilities, regular review cycles (monthly energy reviews, project reviews, and management assessments), and an opportunity register tracking progress. This infrastructure ensures that funded projects achieve intended outcomes and that performance is verifiable for reporting or compliance purposes.

What would the November 2017 context mean for organisations evaluating energy projects?

In November 2017, organisations planning capital projects for the following year would benefit from early assessment of funding pathways, eligibility evidence, and measurement requirements. Our advice would support organisations in preparing project briefs documenting site details, available evidence, and business decisions—essential information for scoping engagements and confirming funding eligibility. Starting this assessment before year-end would allow organisations to structure 2018 project timelines, gather required baseline data, and align funding applications with actual project readiness.

Images on This Page