When Australia was faced with surging energy prices and the risk of power shortages this year, The Cram Foundation found itself in a challenging situation.

But through a meeting with the local Business Illawarra chamber, followed by a MyBusiness Energy consultation, The Cram Foundation was able to unlock much-needed energy savings for their business during these uncertain times. 

The Cram Foundation has been providing disability care and support since 1932, assisting Australians living with complex disabilities.

With 15 sites across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, The Cram Foundation provides 24/7 around-the-clock support which requires a higher utilisation of electricity and gas to support core functions, from wheelchairs to medical equipment and supplies.

Navigating a crisis

Saving energy wasn’t always top of mind for The Cram Foundation CEO Karen Burdett. However, in June of this year the organisation was jolted into proactivity by looming price hikes. Put simply, Cram needed to find a way to be more energy-efficient and cut costs. 

That’s where MyBusiness Energy came in.

On 7 June, Karen attended a lunch that was hosted by Business Illawarra and the Energy Efficiency Council, and funded by the NSW Office of Energy and Climate Change. She then got in touch with a MyBusiness in-house energy expert who had a wide-ranging conversation about Cram and its relationship and issues with energy and this led to getting a price check done.

Through this consultation, The Cram Foundation is now going through the process of changing its energy contracts after renegotiation. This will save about $35,000 over the next three years. 

“They came back with a significant opportunity for improvement in our rates for a lot of our homes,” Karen said.

“We are a not-for-profit organisation, so we had finite resources from an administrative perspective. Having that support to essentially manage that process of reviewing the rates and renegotiating contracts was extremely helpful for us.”    

Planning for the future

In addition to reduced energy bills, the consultation has also put a lens over how Cram can minimise its environmental footprint moving forward.

The foundation is now exploring future energy management initiatives from energy efficiency installations to process/behaviour change and planning for future sustainable disability housing that makes commercial sense.

“It was about us becoming aware there was a way to reduce our costs and potentially look at other sources of assistance. It was really through this partnership and the information that was provided that we had an understanding of the growing costs in terms of energy sources," Karen said.

“The Cram Foundation has found it extremely beneficial in working with MyBusiness and having that assistance in the negotiation of new rates with potential providers was a great benefit for us. The savings that we will look to make over the next three years is really positive.

“We’re really excited that we now have a connection for some greater education and input around how we can operate better in regards to energy utilisation as an organisation and it's through that connection with MyBusiness, that we can explore these future initiatives moving forward.”