Local businesses slashing electricity bills
“We have also protected ourselves from future power price rises,” Rob Phillips “We have reduced our power bills by more than 50 percent,” Michael Mcgough
Lister House Medical Clinic in Baillie Street, Horsham has provided a glowing example of regional businesses making the most of readily accessible resources to reduce power bills.
The clinic, operating for more than 80 years and providing GP and nursing services seven days a week, is now tapping into opportunities after undergoing renovations and extensions.
The clinic underwent redevelopment to allow for delivery of the clinic’s wide range of medical services to improve patient comfort. A key part of the process was investigating the use of solar power to offset rising electricity prices.
Electricity has been a significant cost to the clinic, a relatively large premises, but it now has the benefits of a solar system.
Practice Manager Rob Phillips said the clinic had called Wades Solar in Horsham as part of an annual investigation into saving money on its power bill.
“We had thought of solar but needed expert advice because we were concerned with the up-front cost of installing a solar system,” he said.
“Adrian Wade from Wades recommended a 20-kilowatt system for our roof to not only help us cut costs but also be more ‘green’ – a notion important to us at Lister House.
“We chose not to buy the system upfront. Instead, Wades was able to supply and install the system for us using a Power Purchase Agreement. This allowed us to preserve our capital because there were no up-front costs and allowed us to be cash-flow positive from day one.”
Mr Phillips said the decision was ultimately easy and it was already showing a reduction in monthly power bills.
“Why wouldn’t we do it? We have locked in a portion of our bills at a low rate and we have also protected ourselves from future power price rises. As we pay the system off we will save even more in the future,” he said.
“The first month we saw a 60 percent reduction in our electricity bill. The system is remotely monitored and maintained for the entire agreement, which gives us peace of mind to know it is always working to its optimum.”
Mr Phillips added that a critical part of the deal was back-up support
“We didn’t want to be left with a system that in a year’s time wasn’t working or performing at its maximum.
Adrian and his team at Wades have followed up the installation with regular visits to ensure the system is tweaked and working very well for us. They are also the warranty agents in case of any malfunction in the system.”
O’connors
Wimmera business O’connors has also used the capture of solar energy to take pressure of its power bills.
Faced with rising power costs, the firm’s chief financial officer Michael Mcgough explored solar power as an option for the business.
After a comprehensive investigation he decided to install a 60-kilowatt system for the roof of the firm’s dealership in Horsham through Wades Solar.
Mr Mcgough said the decision had been been a ‘fantastic’ investment for the company.
“We couldn’t be happier with the 60kw system Wades recommended for our Horsham premises. It captures power from the sun which offsets against our daytime use, with any excess power sold back to the grid, further enhancing our savings,” he said.
“We have reduced our power bills by more than 50 percent. We’ve been so impressed with the system and its savings that we have now installed a 40kw system at our Birchip business and a third, a 50kw system, in Corowa and plan to roll out similar systems across our other sites
“We are now looking forward to not only smaller power bills, but are now a much
more environmentally friendly business. We expect the systems to save our business hundreds of thousands of dollars over the coming years.
“Wades undertook a detailed analysis of our current power bills and recommended the right size systems for our individual circumstances.”
With Victoria’s feed-in electrical tariff rate for household and businesses doubling to 11.3 cents from July 1, there has never been a better time to instal solar and save on your home or business’s power bills.
People looking for more information about saving on home or business power bills can call Adrian Wade on 5382 3823.