Reducing your business electricity bill doesn’t have to involve drastic changes to the way you operate your business. Even small changes to the way you operate your equipment and appliances can have a big impact on your electricity bill.

1. Appliances

• Unplug your appliances when they’re not in use Most appliances feature a ‘standby’ mode. This means they’re still using energy even when they’re not in use.
• Buy appliances with a good energy rating The higher the star rating, the better – but also think about size. It’s often easier for a larger model to be more efficient (and therefore have more stars) than a smaller one. However, since it is bigger, its overall energy consumption is usually higher.
• Energy-efficient refrigeration Your fridge and freezer is constantly working and the energy it consumes adds up quickly. Every new fridge sold in Australia must meet Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). Target models that use a hydrocarbon, such as butane or pentane, as the refrigerant and/or blowing agent for the insulation foam. All fridges on the market are CFC-free, so don’t base you decision on “CFC free” labels.

2. Heating and cooling

• Insulate your roof or ceiling- This will help keep your home a comfortable temperature in summer and winter. It saves money on energy bills and pays for itself over a relatively short time.
• Draught-proof- Draught-proof your home by ensuring doors and windows are properly sealed – you can buy draught excluders or window seals very cheaply.
• Avoid installing downlights- Besides using a lot of energy, they penetrate the ceiling and insulation, causing heat loss. LED lightbulbs are the most energy efficient option for lighting.
• Shade your windows- During hot summer days this will help to keep the heat out, and on cold nights curtains or blinds help to keep the heat in.
• Turn on the air conditioner early- If you have an air conditioner, try to use it only when absolutely necessary, and if you expect a very hot day, pre-empt the heat rather than waiting until your home is already hot. Similarly, start heating early when expecting a cold day. Look for programmable timer and thermostat controls. Set your air conditioner at the highest temperature setting at which you still feel cool enough; 25ºC is usually adequate. Each 1°C increase of the thermostat setting can save about 10% on your energy usage.
• Close all external windows and doors- This is most vital when your heater or air conditioner is operating.
• Install ceiling fans-Ceiling fans are far cheaper than air conditioning and have less environmental impact.

3. Green power

• One simple and relatively cheap way that we can all start to make a difference is by switching our electricity to “green” power. This means using power generated from clean renewable sources such as the sun, wind, water and waste power, rather than coal.

Empower

Blue NRG has partnered with Empower, a company that specialises in energy efficiency solutions, to help businesses save money by reducing their energy usage.

Energy Efficiency Solutions include but are not limited to:

• LED lighting –  can help save up to 22%* off your total bill
• Solar power- dramatically reduce peak energy demand
• Energy Management Systems (EMS) – to track and motior energy usage in real time