Five key ways to reduce your business’ energy bills

While the recent high-profile slip-up by Brumby’s suggests that small businesses might use the carbon tax to hit consumers with price rises, early data suggests otherwise.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the first two weeks of the controversial tax have seen 630 complaints and enquiries from people over businesses’ behaviour. In a pool of more than 8,000 complaints in that period, this number isn’t exceptional.

While there are examples of entrepreneurs risking the wrath of the corporate regulator, it appears that most SMEs are getting on with the job of reducing their exposure to the carbon tax, rather than simply heaping it onto customers.

To help you on your way to reducing your energy consumption, and therefore your carbon pricing pain, here are five top tips to follow.

1. Learn to switch off

With a flick of a switch, you can cut your business’ power bill by up to 10%. According to the NSW government, by switching off appliances when you leave your workplace for the day, you can save around $125 and cut your CO2 emissions by 500 kilos a year.

Switching off computers and photocopiers entirely is the best option, but if you have to keep appliances on standby, look for equipment that is Energy Star compliant as well as being multifunction – both these things reduce the amount of power used.

How bright does your business really need to be? Consider installing light dimmers and a skylight to your office and unplug outdoor lighting during the day. Rather than leave lights on all night, go for infrared sensors – it’ll save power and be a decent addition to your security.

Think you’re too busy for all this? Then automate the process – you can invest in appliances such as EcoSwitch that can make the switch-off a bit easier.