By Jenny Dikranian Content Writer, My Business
With that thought, consider this: when your business is ticking along – so is the meter, meaning your energy costs could be adding up when they don’t need to be.
Understanding your energy consumption and running costs may seem like learning a foreign language, but for Yasmin Guner, there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Sparking savings
For Yasmin, 30 years’ experience in small business didn’t stop her from seeking new ways of being more efficient. And her drive to cut energy costs has certainly paid off. Yasmin owns an eat-in and takeaway business on the Central Coast of New South Wales. As a food business, energy costs are high. There’s fresh produce to keep cool, drinks to keep chilled, burners for cooking and that’s just for starters.
Yasmin used the free government Business Energy Advice Program (BEAP) to evaluate her energy consumption and find ways to be more efficient. BEAP provided an energy specialist consultant who assessed her energy consumption and provided a report with tailored recommendations. The service included advice on checking how the fridge motors were running, so everything would be at an optimum temperature for produce to remain fresh without excessive electricity being used.
Yasmin’s key takeaways
Being a Monday to Friday operation meant there were opportunities to save on energy outside of trading times. One BEAP recommendation was to stop running the drinks fridge outside of business operating hours. By investing in a $29 timer, Yasmin was able to save on electricity usage across the whole weekend and 13 hours of electricity usage on weekdays. Based on past bills, the efficiency savings are estimated at $260 a year, for implementing one simple initiative.
Yasmin says BEAP was “awesome”, adding “I took his advice… (he) showed me really smart ways of looking at things. It was great!”
By reducing her energy consumption, Yasmin has saved on running costs and contributed to workplace sustainability.
