Thermal imaging cameras use infrared light to help detect areas of heat loss in the home, such as draughts, leaks and poor insulation

Council has three thermal imaging cameras available for residents to borrow at no charge from the Green Living Centre and four from Inner West Libraries. We'll provide you with instructions on how to use the cameras.

They are easy to use, no professional knowledge is required.

Gas cooktops contribute to climate change by burning fossil fuels, while induction cooktops use magnetic fields to heat cookware faster and more efficiently. Induction cooktops also use less energy and can boil water in about half the time of gas cooktops.

Council has two portable induction cooktops ( a single hob and a double hob) available to residents to borrow from the Green Living Centre.

Council is working with ZapCat, a certified social enterprise, to help local residents electrify their apartment blocks and townhouses, and save on energy bills.

Residents can access expert, independent advice on switching to clean electric appliances in their unit or entire block — such as solar panels, batteries, hot water heat pumps, EV chargers, induction cooktops, and more.

Or practical tips on reducing energy bills through insulation, draught proofing, and other energy efficiency upgrades.

This free independent government service allows you to compare the different energy companies and choose the best gas or electricity plan for you.

Enter your suburb or postcode and information about your energy usage to find and compare plans.

This comparison can be done for apartment common area or individual apartment accounts.

The 30% of Australian households that rent their home face higher barriers to electrification than owner occupiers

This guide for landlords and tenants from the Renew Getting Off Gas Toolkit includes suggestions for renters to make an economic case for electric equipment upgrades to their landlord.

Get government-backed guidance about rooftop solar, including what to consider when buying a rooftop solar and battery system.

The Commonwealth Government 2024 Solar Consumer Guide takes you through the stages of solar investigation.

View the 2024 Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Apartments webinar, hosted by the Sydney branch of Not for Profit group Renew, funded by Council,

Topics covered include:

• understanding where and how energy is being used in the the common property
• identifying opportunities to reduce consumption and save money

View the recording of the August 2024 Council funded Renew hosted event specialising in opportunities for renters.

Topics covered include:

• working with your landlord
• simple things that can have the most impact
• equipment and appliances
• room by room analysis
• advice and assistance

Strata units and apartments have unique requirements for going all electric and getting off gas.

This Renew fact sheet plans out how to work with your committee and or working group to come up with a plan and timeline for common areas.

Council is working with apartment buildings to increase awareness of Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling in apartment buildings.

What's on offer?

• Visual inspection of the green lid FOGO and burgundy lid Food Recycling bins to see how well the bins are being used

• Improvement of bin room signage, bin placement and accessibility

• Insights into your building’s FOGO usage

Council will require a point of contact to provide access to bin rooms and help distribute information to residents.

Launched in March 2025, Council's new doorstop recycling service for hard to recycle items like soft plastics, textiles and e-waste is available to all residents at no additional cost.

The service has a two-bag minimum for collection and residents have access to three bookings per year. There is no limit to the amount of material that can be picked up through HomeCycle per booking.

Accepted items

-Soft plastics

-Clothing / shoes / sneakers (wearable and unwearable)

Follow link for full listing

The template covers a range of issues such as littering, illegal dumping, bin maintenance and recycling contamination.

The by-law, developed by strata lawyer Amanda Farmer, is valued at around $3,000 and is only available to developments in the Inner West council area.

Does your strata property have an issue with dumped rubbish when residents move in or move out?

This Inner West Council waste and recycling services guide features an overview of Council's free household clean up services and other reuse, repair and upcycling options.

• How to promote within your apartment complex and book
• Helpful checklists to avoid dumped rubbish when moving out
• What roles can real estate agents and building managers play?

For common areas, Sydney Water's free desktop assessment is the first step to determine if your strata's water usage is low average or high.

Using an apartment and bedroom count, plus historical water usage, you can compare your strata to best practice industry benchmarks. See if you can save.

For residential private water usage (over 87% in stratas) efficient taps. showerheads and toilets are available via the Waterfix Residential program.

Inner West Council's Rainwater Tank Incentive Scheme is available to rateable strata properties in the local government area.

The Scheme includes:

• one- off rebate payment per property
• free workshop that is compulsory to be eligible for the rebate

This one-off rebate is for rainwater tank purchase. It is calculated by the volume of the tank(s) installed and how the water is used. Higher rebates are offered for larger tanks and those with internal plumbing to laundry, toilets and/or hot water.

Well designed and maintained stormwater systems help capture pollutants like sediment and litter before they enter our waterways.

Correctly installed and maintained stormwater devices are essential to reduce flood risk, protect water quality and comply with local Development Control Plans (DCPs).

The Parramatta River Catchment Group has developed a factsheet that covers the principles of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to assist strata properties with stormwater management.

Inner West Council's free independent home energy upgrade advice service, delivered by social enterprise ZapCat, can offer :

• Instant online estimates for installing EV charging - individually for a lot or communally
• virtual consultation with independent energy expert & personalised recommendations
• Site visit and quote from pre-vetted installers
• Quote review & comparison

Episode 4, March 2025, The EV Charing Podcast

Ross De Rango, former Head of Energy and Infrastructure at the Electric Vehicle Council explains the challenges and solutions for installing EV chargers in apartment buildings while addressing common misconceptions about EV fire safety and implementation costs.

A NSW Climate and Energy Action initiative.

• 5 steps to EV readiness
• How to manage the installation of EV chargers
• Templates Flyers and useful links

Published by NSW Department of Planning & Environment in March 2022 the guide offers:

• An overview of the main charging solutions available for residential strata buildings
• What considerations the owners corporation needs to be made when connecting Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.

Jan 2025 post from EV FireSafe, a private company researching EV battery fires and emergency response with funding from the Australian Department of Defence.

Playlist of 7 short 5 minute videos covering the

1. Getting started
2. Individual v common meters
3. Backbone infrastructure
4. Load management systems
5. Payment and billing systems
6. Level 1 chargers
7. Level 2 chargers

Recorded in February 2025, the webinar discusses EV readiness, energy loads, charging options, strata legislation, and funding opportunities.

A local building manager and strata committee members share their experiences in a panel discussion.