Energy bill busters give a competitive edge

Many businesses think of energy as a fixed cost but it doesn’t have to be. The bills for electricity and fuel come in each month, managers wish they were smaller but pay them anyway.

“Any business that pays for energy has an opportunity to reduce that bill,” says Richard Briggs, manager of programme partnerships at The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). “The bigger the bill, the bigger the opportunity.” Comparing yourself with similar businesses in your sector is a good place to start. “Benchmarking is a really good knowledge tool,” says Richard. “You’re going to be a lot more competitive if you’re using energy well.”

Businesses of all sizes can get benchmarking comparisons and other insights by using the Energy Management Journey tool on the EECA Business website. If you plug in information including your location, sector, energy spend and attitude to energy, it draws on national data about energy consumption to suggest ways to reduce energy costs in your business.

For businesses that spend more than $100,000 on energy a year, it’s worth taking the next step and bringing in expertise.

“A good energy manager has worked with so many businesses they know where the quick wins are,” says Richard. “These are different for every business – it could be LED lighting for one and hot water systems for another.

They look objectively at the whole picture, and often suggest solutions you hadn’t thought of.”

Find the Energy Management Journey tool and a Programme Partner directory of energy management experts at www.eecabusiness.govt.nz.