The
Integrated Energy
Management Centre (IEMC)
A special welcome to fans of the legendary Debbie Black who is pictured above in Tasmania.
The photo above shows the Mobile Energy Centre used by Debbie Black and other staff at the Integrated Energy Management Centre to educate schools and the public in the principles and benefits of energy management and energy efficiency and alternatives like solar, hydro and geothermal energy.
Debbie worked in the Marketing Department of the Hydro Electric Commission for several years, before becoming Education Officer at the IEMC in Hobart Tasmania. She was an excellent people motivator and a ball of energy at work, as well as on the court.
She moved from her home in Pennsylvania in the USA to Australia to play basketball for the Tasmanian Islanders from 1989-96, and helped lead them to the Australian National Championship in 1991 and the Australian Southern Championship in 1995. Since then Debbie has moved back to the USA, where she has played for Colorado Xplosion in the ABL and Utah Starzz in the WNBA, but is now playing for Miami Sol.
Click Here for More Statistics on Black
Please sign our Guest Book.
Inaugural IEMC Manager and Staff
History of the Integrated Energy Management Centre
The IEMC was opened in Hobart, Tasmania, on 23 June 1992 as a joint initiative of the Australian Federal Government, Tasmanian State Government, and the Hydro-Electric Commission. Tasmania won the right to establish the Centre in a competition with the other states. The IEMC was the primary source of energy information in Tasmania and provided a role model for the development of other integrated energy management centres throughout Australia. The main objectives were to demonstrably improve management of all forms of energy and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Tasmania.
Sadly, the IEMC shop is now closed due to reduced funding, so there is no one-stop-shop in Tasmania for schools and the general public to seek advice on all forms of energy efficiency and alternative energy. The oil, gas, wood and other industries have separate centres, and the Hydro has a Hands-On Energy Discovery Centre which for advice on electric energy.
On a brighter note IEMC Computer Systems Officer Maria Milosavljevic is now a CSIRO Research Scientist.
Daihatsu Charade Electric Car Used at IEMC
Dallas's Tips on Saving Energy at Home
These ideas are for optimum energy-efficiency and should not compromise aesthetics such as views, materials, etc.
The extra capital investment cost of an energy-efficient solar house is recouped by reduced energy costs. The reduction in annual heating and cooling bills can be greater than the increased mortgage repayments - giving a net saving. The main advantage though is a cooler house in summer, and a warmer house in winter with reduced condensation and obvious health benefits, especially for asthmatics and people who are susceptible to colds and flu. A Tasmanian woman I know of was always sick in winter while living in an ordinary house, but has been healthy all year round since moving into a solar house.
* Purchase a block with a sunny aspect (north in Australia), and orientate main living areas for maximum winter sun.
* Plant deciduous trees and vines in strategic positions to limit solar gain in summer and maximise gain in winter.
* Install insulation in exterior walls, floor and ceiling and add internal thermal mass such as floor tiles and brick walls.
* The area of internal thermal mass should be about seven times the window area on the sunny side of the house.
* Thermal mass can be added by building the external walls inside-out ... internal brick with wood or plastic cladding.
* Attach a "glasshouse" to the house's sunny side to capture and transfer winter heat from the sun to the interior.
* Install thick insulation in the roof space of existing houses. This reduces heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.
* Install large tinted double-glazed windows (no curtains) on the sunny side, and small single-glazing elsewhere.
* The cost of adding curtains to large single-glazed windows can be as much as the additional cost of double-glazing.
* Install a heat pump for heating and cooling. Geothermal Heat Pumps are more efficient and control humidity better.
* Don't try to heat or cool the whole house, just the rooms you occupy during the day, such as lounge and rumpus.
* Seal gaps in doors and windows to reduce draughts in winter. Close doors and windows on very hot or cold days.
* Wear a jumper on cold days. Keep the windows and doors closed on hot days to limit hot air from outside.
* When your major appliances fail, replace them with energy-efficient ones ... look for four or five energy stars.
* Close the curtains and windows at night and turn the lights off when you leave the room ... day and night.
* Use compact fluorescent or mercury vapour lamps instead of incandescent globes for all-night security lighting.
* Turn space heating/cooling thermostat down to 18C for heating and up to 24C for cooling. Turn fridge/freezer up.
* Don't leave the fridge or freezer door open. Regularly remove ice build-up and keep the evaporator at rear clean.
* Wrap your hotwater cylinder in insulation batts to prevent heat loss, or install your cylinder in a closet to dry clothes.
* Install reduced-flow shower heads (Amway) and have two short showers per day rather than one long shower.
* Turn the hot water thermostat down to 55-60 degrees C. This will reduce the effect of burns too. Fix dripping taps.
Please visit Dallas's page on Geothermal Energy
For more info on energy efficiency and energy management in Tasmania visit ...
Aurora Energy Hands-On Energy Discovery Centre Solar Cars
Centre for the Analysis and Dissemination of Demonstrated Energy Technologies (CADDET)
Mainland Australia and Overseas info ...
Solar Sizer Software Solar Energy Software
RETscreen Renewable Energy Project Analysis Software Environmental Research Foundation
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (New Zealand) Energy Information Administration (USA)