Clarence MP and Parliamentary Secretary for the North Coast Chris Gulaptis has announced a major overhaul of lighting, heating and air conditioning at Grafton and Casino hospitals, as part of $7 million energy efficiency upgrades to hospitals in the Northern NSW Local Health District. “This is great news for hospitals across the region, particularly for Grafton Base Hospital, and Casino and District Memorial Hospital, where more than $1.3 million will be spent,” Mr Gulaptis said. “Twelve thousand new LED lights will be installed across six northern NSW hospitals, resulting in the hospitals saving a combined $1.1 million per year on energy costs.” Environment Minister Mark Speakman said the $7 million energy efficiency upgrade through the Office of Environment and Heritage, is funded from a low-interest government loan. “This is a significant saving that will cut the health district’s annual power bill by 19 per cent and reduce greenhouse gases by 20 per cent, compared with current levels,” Mr Speakman said. Other improvements for the Northern NSW Local Health District include new building management systems, power-factor correction to improve the supply quality of electricity, and water conservation measures across the district’s six sites. The installation of ‘smart’ meters, flow control devices, and improved management systems are expected to save a combined 11 million litres of water per year across the health district. “Redeveloped and new facilities are designed and built to comply with the government’s resource efficiency policy. The aim of the policy is to reduce the government’s operating costs and lead by example in increasing the efficiency of the resources it uses,” Mr Gulaptis said.