UniBank goes solar!

UniBank’s Nedlands office is at the forefront of our new green initiative. 

Over the past few months, the bank has invested significantly in improving the environmental performance of its buildings, which are the largest source of our direct environmental footprint. 

We have installed 82 solar PV panels on the roof of our UniBank Nedlands office. This is estimated to generate up to 38,600 kWh a year. 

We estimate that our solar panels will slash our greenhouse gas emissions by 40% - that’s about 29 tCO₂-e of emissions annually. UniBank will also be exporting solar power to the grid.

The $40,000 investment will save around $10,000 each year in electricity costs. After four years we will be saving money with solar every day! This is just another way we are making our members’ money work harder. 

UniBank operates out of two other locations at Curtin and Murdoch Universities – as these are rented offices there is limited ability to install PV and LEDs. 

Across the bank we have installed Solar and LEDs on every single bank building that we own. Combined with carbon offsets, we have “net zero” buildings – those which generate clean energy and have net zero carbon emissions. 

Whilst there are 1.5 million Australian households with solar on their homes, there is very little solar power on commercial buildings. We are proud to be investing in a cleaner and more sustainable environment. The 612 solar panels on all our four bank buildings increases the number of known solar powered bank buildings in Australia to 10. 

LED lighting upgrades 

We are also replacing a range of florescent, halogen and HID lighting at our Nedlands office, with more efficient LED lighting. These upgrades are expected to reduce lighting electricity usage at our Nedlands office by 70%, and result in up to $14,000 of savings in annual electricity bills and maintenance costs. 

Read our An Assessment of Energy Emissions Performance of Buildings at Teachers Mutual Bank Limited report for the environmental credentials of the bank, with a focus on electricity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduction measures in buildings over the past five years.

Read the report