Council Emissions

Council’s Carbon Emissions

Council has been taking action to reduce climate pollution (greenhouse gas emissions) from our operations for over two decades.

Our 2030 goal to reduce Council emissions

In December 2021, Council endorsed an ambitious goal to cut our operational emissions by between 80% and 100% by 2030, compared to our emissions in 2011/12 (the ‘baseline year’). The goal can only be achieved by direct emissions reductions, not by buying carbon offsets.

 Our operational emissions in 2011/12 were 21,253 tonnes of CO2-equivalent (tCO2e). Most of these emissions were due to:

  • Grid electricity – heavily reliant at the time on coal power plants
  • Petrol & diesel – used by Council fleet and contractors
  • Gas – largely used at our aquatic and leisure centres.

How are we tracking?

In 2024/25 our operational emissions were 67% lower than in 2011/12.

Council is focused on reducing emissions by:

  • Converting our vehicle fleet, including heavy trucks, to electric vehicles. Electricity transformers will be installed at Hadfield Operations Centre in 2027 to provide 3 megawatts of extra electrical capacity. This will support more EV chargers as we continue to electrify our fleet.
  • Continuing to electrify our buildings and aquatic centres, replacing gas boilers with heat pumps running off renewable electricity. Oak Park Sports and Aquatic Centre will have heat-pumps installed in 2026.
  • Continuing to install solar systems both on Council-occupied buildings and leased properties.
  • Engaging with our suppliers to prioritise low-emissions materials and products, particularly for infrastructure works.

Key actions that have reduced our emissions

We have reduced our emissions through the following key projects:

The Crowlands Wind Farm supplies renewable energy for the Merri-bek City Council. Image courtesy of Pacific Hydro.

Electricity backed by 100% renewable power
Through the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP), Council worked with other organisations, including City of Melbourne, Zoos Victoria and RMIT University, to support the construction of Crowlands Wind Farm in north-west Victoria. The power purchase agreement provides Council with electricity backed by renewable energy certificates. This means that all electricity consumed by our street-lights, Council buildings, public barbecues, and electric vehicle chargers is zero-emissions. Learn more about the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project.

 Energy efficient and all-electric Council buildings
Council has carried out works to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of our buildings, for example through insulation upgrades, LED lighting, and double-glazing. All new Council buildings are energy-efficient and all-electric. This includes the Glenroy Community Hub, the first Passive House-certified public building in Australia. We have a rolling programme to move Council buildings off gas, and Fawkner Leisure Centre is now entirely electric. We have also installed over 1,600kW of solar systems across Council buildings. Learn more about how we have improved Council buildings.

Solar on Council Leased Buildings
Council owns buildings which are leased to community organisations, such as sports clubs and kindergartens. Under the Solar on Leased programme, Council pays the upfront costs to install solar and manages the regular maintenance. Tenants repay the upfront costs over 7 – 10 years using the savings from their electricity bills. The tenants see some cost savings from day one, and once the solar is paid-off they get the full cost savings, without ever having to outlay capital. To date 21 Council tenants have participated in the programme. Learn more about Solar on Council Leased Buildings.

Electric Vehicle Fleet
Council now has over 35 battery electric vehicles (EVs) in its vehicle fleet, including cars, vans, utes and street-sweepers. This is one of the largest council EV fleets in Victoria. Council also provides 7 e-bikes for Council staff to use, one of which is an e-cargo bike. Council also operates 26 public EV charging stations, four of which are fast (DC) chargers. On average these public chargers see over 130 charging sessions a day.

Reporting our carbon emissions

Council reported our operational emissions through the Climate Active national voluntary scheme from 2011 until 2024 to be ‘certified carbon neutral’. You can download our Public Disclosure Statements on the Climate Active website.

Council has decided to reassess how we report on our operational emissions as we progress towards our 2030 emissions target. We expect to be able to provide more details soon.