Energy efficient and renewable energy solutions

This is not the first time I have written about the importance of putting energy efficient and renewable energy solutions in place for Australian households and businesses.

We’re seeing more Australian property owners take matters into their own hands as they lead the way in navigating this dynamic energy landscape.

What exactly is it they are doing?

1.      Take stock of your energy consumption

Smart Meters provide real time information to monitor and track energy consumption. According Victorian Energy Saver, consumers were able to reduce their energy consumption from 5-15%, simply by having this real-time information on display to help track consumption. This can help business understand which business operations are consuming the most energy and homeowners identify their highest energy consuming appliances, as well as how they can reduce their bills and make the switch between providers.

Not all businesses and homes will have this sort of information readily available. This can be remedied by asking a licenced electrical contractor to conduct an energy audit to assess your energy usage and identify areas and equipment such as solar panels or battery storage, or upgrades to installations such as arc fault detection devices that protect against electrocution and can help lower your electricity bills and improve safety.

2.      Make smart investments

For many businesses and households, rising electricity costs are eating away at profits and budgets, but investing in energy efficient and renewable energy solutions will save money in the long-term.

Battery storage may be something to consider. Battery storage can smooth out the peaks in your energy use by storing and controlling the release of the solar energy generated and reduce the amount of electricity you draw from the network.

3.      Reduce energy use during peak periods

New technology is available enabling you to immediately adjust to adapt to changes in demand on the network.

Demand response, as this system is known allows you to voluntarily reduce your energy usage if energy prices peak due to, for example, an unplanned generator outage, thereby avoiding high costs. This helps stabilise the grid, and delivers a reward to those using the demand response system.

Demand response is a win-win for everyone. It helps stabilise the grid, delivers benefits to those not participating in the form of increased reliability and affordability of the energy system. Businesses that choose to participate avoid paying the higher costs of peak energy pricing.

Any or all of these solutions can help cut your energy costs, reduce demand on the environment by offering more sustainable solutions and deliver a more reliable electricity network to Australia.

For more information, speak to an expert at NECA member who can provide you with tangible options.