Monitoring your Energy Bills in Your Business

Transcription

1 Fact Sheet #2 Monitoring your Energy Bills in Your Business In this fact sheet you will discover: What to look for on your energy bills to indentify problems and reduce costs. How to monitor and track your energy usage. Document prepared by Steplight Pty Ltd for the TCF Australia Online Energy Efficiency Project. This Activity received funding from the Department of Industry as part of the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein

2 Quarterly business energy bills Business energy bills that are received quarterly follow a similar format to residential energy bills. In the case of electricity, this is normally seen for sites spending less than $30,000 per annum on electricity. An example of a quarterly business electricity bill is shown below. TCF Australia Online Energy Efficiency Project Page 2

3 Monthly business energy bills Business energy bills that are received monthly tend to be more complex and have a different breakdown of charges. Electricity bills like the one shown below are typically seen at sites consuming more than $30,000 of electricity per year. Energy charges Usually billed by time of usage. Peak time is normally weekdays in the afternoon. Off Peak will usually cover later night and most of the weekend. TLF and DLF stand for Transmission and Distribution Loss Factor. Network charges A network usage fee that corresponds to the total kwh usage by time slot. Includes Peak Capacity charge in $/kva that represents the largest amount of power needed by the site at any given time. Market & Other charges TCF Australia Online Energy Efficiency Project Page 3

4 These cover participation in the National Electricity Market (eastern states) and the costs of various government energy schemes Energy bill checklist The following checklist may help you to understand your bills in more detail and uncover some opportunities for savings. What is your average usage in kwh/day? Is it going up or down compared to the same time last year? What could this be caused by? Is your usage highest in summer or winter? What are the likely causes? How might this be reduced? What is your most expensive electricity tariff ($/kwh)? Is this for a particular time of day or is it a fixed tariff? How might you vary your usage to minimise exposure to this tariff rate? Are you getting the best deal? Contact your supplier to see if you are eligible for any offers. If you receive a quarterly bill, check the Internet for electricity bill comparison sites to see how your rate compares to others. If you receive a larger monthly bill it is worth putting your electricity contract out to tender yourself or via an energy broker every few years to ensure you are getting the best available rates. If you receive multiple bills at the one location, contact your supplier to see if these can be consolidated into one bill. This will reduced your fixed billing costs. TCF Australia Online Energy Efficiency Project Page 4

5 Monitoring energy usage Monitoring energy consumption in more detail than quarterly or monthly energy bills can help to uncover a range of energy saving opportunities. Electricity and gas meters Taking regular readings of mains electricity and gas meters provides an insight into usage. For example, taking a meter reading in the evening and again in the morning will uncover how much your business is using when the site is unoccupied. Most meters are easy to read but ask your energy supplier if in doubt. Plug-in power meters A power meter measures the electricity usage of any appliances that plugs into a standard power socket. They allow you to calculate the consumption and cost of each appliance, for example: If a computer is found to use 1.2 kwh in one day: 1.2 kwh x 365 days = 438 kwh/year If you pay 25c/kWh for your electricity: $0.28 x 438 = $123/year Infrared thermometers Infrared thermometers measure the surface temperature of objects at which they are pointed. They range from basic handheld thermometers through to thermal imaging cameras (pictured) and they can be used to identify sources of waste heat, air conditioning issues, fridge and freezer temperatures among other things. TCF Australia Online Energy Efficiency Project Page 5