Energy
Tips & Tricks
Some of us might not think about our electricity usage that often, but did you know that small changes to how you use electricity can make a big difference to your overall costs?
In this section, we try to give you some general tips on how to save money on your bills by changing the way you use electricity, and how you can decrease your carbon emissions.
This section is aimed more towards businesses rather than residential users of electricity.
Energy Efficiency Tips & Tricks
Turn your devices off at the wall.
Around 10% of energy consumption is due to electronic devices being left on standby. If your office has a lot of computers, you are definitely using a lot of electricity when your screens and computers are not being used. This usually accounts for more than 10% of your costs if they’re not being turned off each night.
Computers, tablets, phone chargers, microwaves, printers and kettles all consume energy when they are turned off at the device, but left on at the wall.
Try turning off as many devices as possible at the wall. You can install Bluetooth or wifi smart energy switches which allow you to turn off the power at the wall remotely. Monitoring your energy usage in real time will give you a much better idea of how much energy you’re consuming and at what time.
Move your IT storage to the Cloud.
IT servers run for 24-hours a day, consume a lot of energy and produce a lot of heat, so there are huge air-conditioning requirements to keep the servers functioning properly.
Saving your data off-site will not only save on your energy costs, but it will also protect your business from loss of data if your server was to crash, and prevents downtime when you do have server problems.
Change the settings for heating and cooling.
Even though you might not work on weekends (but if you’re reading this, you probably do), your fridges, servers and hot water systems do. And they’re costing you money.
Turning them off or updating the settings over weekends will save on your energy costs. You could also look around the office for anything else you can turn off at the wall to find even more savings.
Lowering hot water temperature settings during summer, or increasing the temperature of fridges in winter will help keep cash in your bank too.
Upgrade or repair damaged and old appliances.
Older or degraded products will use more electricity than they should, and a lot more than new products
When we all use less electricity, there is less demand on the grid, which pushes energy prices down and leads to cost savings for every single customer connected to the grid.
You might need to do a cost/benefit analysis to determine your long-term savings by updating old items. When you do, put sustainability front of mind and consider the environmental impacts of our high-consumption culture.
Install solar panels.
This one’s a no brainer. Install solar and generate free electricity.
Solar install prices have levelled out and government rebates are winding down, so now is a great time to invest in rooftop solar. A typical solar system will pay itself off in about 2 - 3 years and will last 25+ years. We can give you a quote to install solar if you like, or you can follow the tips below if you’d like to run with this on your own.
Speak to your electricity retailer before signing anything, as many will increase your electricity prices to levels which make your investment unsustainable.
Do your research on the solar retailer – the solar industry has a history of small companies selling dodgy systems and then changing their ABN so they don’t have to handle any warranty claims. Make sure the retailer is reputable and will be around for the long haul (remember, the panels will last more than 25 years), and be careful not to purchase from ‘back of the van’ companies who don’t even have a physical business address.
Understand the difference between a Clean Energy Council (CEC) approved retailer and installer, as they both offer different warranties. ALL installers MUST be CEC approved and they must offer 2 years warranty on workmanship. A CEC approved retailer offers a full 5 years warranty on workmanship – Make sure your retailer is either CEC approved or will offer the full 5-year warranty on workmanship, and get this in writing. For more information, visit the CEC’s website.
The three things that are most important when purchasing solar, in this order, are:
A. The reputation and longevity of the solar retailer, including the full 5-year warranty on workmanship and their industry knowledge. Look for online reviews on the company, and if they seem a bit dodgy, they probably are!
B. The quality of the panels and inverter. Again, check out some reviews and read the warranty card – this shows how much energy will be produced each year for the life of the panels and allows you to work out real savings figures.
C. The savings you’ll make over the life of the system.Finally, before signing that dotted line, speak to your electricity retailer and get their comments in writing. Electricity retailers have your interval consumption data, and can usually work out your savings far more accurately than solar installers (they frequently look at your invoice and take a guess, and don’t necessarily take into account export back to the grid, increased Western Power costs or the time you are actually using the electricity).
Roof Insulation
Insulation acts as a barrier to heat loss and heat gain and is most effective in roofs. Most of the sun’s energy is focused directly on your roof, so you will benefit by blocking the heat’s access to your working and living spaces by installing a physical barrier.
The right insulation can prevent up to 80% of heating and cooling losses, leading to a notable saving in your energy bills.
Cooling - removing production heat
The best place for heat-producing machinery is against a wall, as this allows the hot air to rise to the roof and accumulate in the corner and then extracted rather than mixing with rest of the air in the room. Just be aware of fire risk due to the type of machinery and wall material.
The outdoor air is cool during the night and can be used for cooling the building during the summer. Direct free cooling means that the building is cooled down without the use of mechanical cooling other than an exhaust fan. If you have security screens on your windows, you could leave the windows open at night to increase air flow.
Fans use far less electricity than air conditioners. If you don’t need the air-con turned on, install ceiling fans and use them sometimes instead.
Learn about your energy with smart metering.
Understanding how your business uses power helps to identify where energy is being wasted or where operations can be more efficient.
Installing smart-meters enables you to analyse and record your energy consumption in different areas of the building, or by electrical outlet.
These can monitor data in real-time so you get a complete understanding of your consumption and how to manage it.
Safety Advice
If you have a life-threatening emergency, including if a power line has fallen, call 000 immediately.
For faults or non-life threatening emergencies, please call Western Power’s 24-hour Faults, Emergencies and Outages line on 13 13 51.
For safety tips on electricity usage, read and follow the instructions on all your electronic devices carefully, and never allow water near an electrical circuit or device.
All states plan extensively for worst case scenarios during summer, such as bushfires, extended heatwaves, and storms. For more information on bushfire advice and warnings, visit www.emergency.wa.gov.au
For more information on electrical safety, visit Western Power’s website here: www.westernpower.com.au/safety-access