Measure your energy and conduct an audit

Measuring your energy and conducting an energy audit can provide clarity regarding your business’s energy consumption and uncover potential for cost saving, decreased energy consumption, increased efficiency, and innovation. While energy bills can give you an idea, an audit will provide more detailed information.

Measuring your energy: Tools such as smart meters and appliance monitoring devices can provide ‘real-time’ monitoring of your energy use and costs and can help with your audit.

• Energy monitoring apps can be used to test the efficiency of specific equipment. They will display the electricity consumption of a specific appliance and can be purchased for less than $40. You can use this information to inform purchasing in the future, as well as scheduling time of use.

• Smart meters can be rented or purchased. You should contact your energy provider before you start as they may provide one free of charge.

Step 2 of The 20 Step Guide to Cutting Energy Bills in Your Business outlines the cost-effective and user-friendly alternatives available for tracking energy consumption, and explains how these tools can lead to savings.

Energy audits: can be done in-house, or external specialists/energy service providers can be hired to manage some or all parts of the audit. More information about conducting an in-house energy audit or engaging a professional is available below. (5)

Make a plan

Writing an energy reduction plan may seem like a daunting task for small business owners, but the benefits of doing so can be significant in terms of both financial savings and environmental impact. 

By committing to a plan and regularly tracking progress towards energy reduction goals, businesses can take meaningful steps towards creating a more sustainable future, while improving their bottom line.

EnergyCut has developed an ‘Energy Reduction Plan’ template for businesses. This template will allow you to develop a personalised strategy for decreasing energy consumption and cutting costs.

3b. How to: Minimise your consumption

Why is it important?

Energy waste costs Australian businesses billions of dollars every year. (v)

Reducing consumption is the simplest way to reduce your costs and environmental impact.

What does sustainable practice look like?

This section contains some suggestions to help get you started with reducing your energy consumption. For more ideas and practical solutions, links to additional resources have been provided.

Some of the suggestions will depend on whether the practice owns or rents the practice space, however, regardless of your circumstances, investing in and managing an energy-efficient practice is financially beneficial.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water affirms that, ‘Energy-efficient buildings lower energy bills, improve health and comfort levels for occupants, and reduce carbon emissions. This has been shown to increase staff productivity and reduce absenteeism.’ (6)

For more information contact your local council and ask them what support and resources they offer to assist you with reducing your energy consumption.

Real life example

The Sutherland Shire Council in Sydney, NSW, provides a range of resources to its residents including free sustainability kits to help determine appliance efficiency, identify air leaks and insulation gaps, and provide other information to assist with making changes.

Standby power usage

Standby power usage in small businesses and households can contribute to as much as 10% of the total electricity cost. (7)

It is possible to turn off most appliances at the power point at the end of each day. Simply create a list of power points to switch off at the end of the day, and ensure staff are educated on the procedure. (8, 9)

For hard-to-reach places, smart power points can be installed and switched off using smartphone apps, remote-controlled power boards and switches. This can also be achieved through professionally installed isolation switches. (7)

• It is safe to completely switch off your WiFi unit as it automatically reconnects with the internet when you turn it back on. Most WiFi units take only 1–3 minutes to reconnect. (9) For more detailed information on how you can save money through turning things off at the power point, go to the 20 Step Guide to Cutting Energy Bills in Your Business – STEP 6: Switch off and save.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)

By simply switching off air conditioners and extraction exhaust fans at the end of the working day, you can decrease your HVAC expenses. (10)

There are various equipment and behaviour changes you can implement that will lower your HVAC energy bills. These fall under six fundamental guidelines:

• Be mindful of your thermostat settings as they can significantly impact your energy bills.

• When using air conditioning, keep doors, windows, and vents closed to reduce pressure on your HVAC system.

• Regularly maintain your HVAC system to ensure it operates efficiently and lasts longer.

Your EcoSmart electrician or HVAC technical service provider can provide advice on the best maintenance strategy.

• When purchasing HVAC equipment ensure it’s neither too big nor too small, but just the right size for your business needs.

• Make the most of your HVAC system by using it in the most efficient way possible. (10)

For more detailed information on how you can reduce your costs for heating, ventilation and air conditioning go to the 20 Step Guide to Cutting Energy Bills in Your Business – STEP 9: Lower your heating, ventilation and air-conditioning costs.

Insulation

People commonly associate insulation with batts in the ceiling. But it actually covers anything that helps to retain heat in the winter and prevents excessive heat during summer. Effective insulation of your practice can save money and improve energy efficiency as well as benefiting the environment. (11)

A lot of small to medium-sized enterprises lack sufficient insulation in their buildings, which results in a considerable loss of energy used for heating or cooling. Here are some ways to save on energy costs through insulation and shading:

• Insulating the ceiling/roof can save up to 45% on energy costs.

• Insulating the floor can save between 5% and 10% on energy costs.

• Insulating walls can save up to 20% on energy costs.

• Insulating hot water storage tanks and pipes can save up to 30% on energy costs.

• Duct insulation minimises heat leakage, resulting in energy savings.

• Lack of shade around an insulated building during summer can lead to an increase in cooling costs due to the ‘oven effect’, where the sun’s radiant heat passes through the glass and heats up the interior of the building.

• During winter, windows can lead to up to 40% of heat loss. However, windows can also let in up to 87% of heat during the summer, leading to higher cooling costs. Interior blinds and/or double glazing or ‘low E’ glass and window film can mitigate this.

• Up to 90% of heat from the sun can be blocked by shading the exterior of a building. (11,9)

Space utilisation

A UK-based study (12) found that many older buildings required less energy than newer buildings for the same procedures/treatments. Often this was because newer buildings had much larger nonclinical areas, e.g. waiting rooms. Larger rooms require more heating and cooling. Optimising the size of waiting areas and other spaces where possible minimises energy needs, and subsequently cost and carbon emissions.

A holistic approach is recommended for maximising efficient use of clinical spaces, e.g. staff rostering and appointment booking processes can be reviewed to maximise the use of each dental chair. (12)

Real Life Example

Exergy Australia joined CitySwitch, a free program designed to assist Australian businesses to plan a path to net zero emissions. Exergy was able to achieve a 6 Star NABERS energy rating, solely by minimising their energy consumption and without purchasing renewable energy.

3c. How to: Buy or generate renewable energy

Why is it important?

There is no degree of global warming that can be considered safe. Even at the current average
global temperature increase of 1.1 °C, we are witnessing increasingly severe storms, devastating
heatwaves both in oceans and on land, and an unprecedented era of massive fires. (13)

Did you know that in Australia, electricity is the primary cause of greenhouse gas emissions and a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of many businesses? (14)

Switching to renewable energy is a simple but effective way to reduce your emissions and energy costs.(15,16)

What does sustainable practice look like?

• What is Renewable Energy?

• Switching to Renewable Energy

• What about Carbon Offsetting?

What is Renewable Energy?

Sources of energy are regarded as renewable if their use does not cause them to be depleted. (17) For more information check out the resources below in ‘Learn more here’.

Switching to Renewable Energy

There are two options for switching to renewable energy. First, you can buy it, and second you can generate it yourself. You can also do a combination of both. There are numerous programs and resources from industry and government available to assist businesses not just to switch to renewable energy, but to plan for zero emissions and other sustainable actions. Learn more here.

Buying Renewable Energy

There are three ways to purchase renewable energy. 

1. Through your energy provider

Renewable energy options in Australia are accredited by GreenPower, an independent government accreditation scheme, recognised by certification bodies such as the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) and Green Star. Energy sources that are accredited by GreenPower come from Australian renewable energy generators like wind, solar, mini-hydro and bioenergy. (18)

Almost all electricity retailers in Australia have a GreenPower accredited product that lets you purchase between 10 and 100% of your electricity from a renewable source. (19) Talk to your electricity retailer about available options for purchasing accredited GreenPower.

2. Purchase Direct

Generating renewable energy on site can be challenging due to limited space and resources. To overcome this, some businesses are using power purchase agreements (PPAs) to buy renewable energy from off-site sources.

PPAs involve a provider owning and financing the renewable energy system, but selling the electricity produced to businesses at a lower rate than grid electricity. This enables businesses to benefit from cheaper renewable energy without having to invest in their own system.

In addition to cost savings, PPAs provide energy price stability through fixed pricing contracts, making them suitable for meeting long-term energy demands of 10 to 15 years. Well-negotiated PPAs can result in electricity bill savings of up to 40% and also help businesses showcase their commitment to sustainability.

However, successfully navigating the energy market and industry players requires specialised knowledge, so expert assistance is recommended.

A power purchase agreement (PPA) can provide greater certainty and assist you to achieve your sustainability objectives.

For more information check out the links below.

3. Buying Certificates

Organisations can make a claim of being 100% reliant on renewable energy by using Large Generation Certificates (LGCs). For more detail on how LGCs work see the link below.

Generating Renewable Energy

There are a number ofsystems dental practices could consider to generate their own energy. However, solar energy is the most popular small-scale renewable energy source in Australia (due to favourable conditions). (21)

The benefits include making use of secure and local resources, reducing dependence on nonrenewable energy, helping reduce the production of greenhouse gases and other pollution, and reducing your energy bills.

It is possible to generate income or offset the cost of purchase of an eligible system through renewable power incentives such as the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). (20)

Other examples of renewable energy include wind, bioenergy, hydropower, geothermal, solar hot water systems, heat pumps and more. You can find out about more about other options for generating renewable energy using the links below. (21)

Real life example 

Renewable Power Incentives

Australian households and small businesses that choose to set up a small renewable energy system (such as wind, solar or hydro) or an approved hot water system may qualify for assistance through the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) to offset the cost of purchase.22 In Australia, solar energy is the most commonly adopted practice for generating your own energy.

By installing an eligible system, Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) can be generated, which can be sold or transferred to provide financial value. The number of STCs created is determined by the amount of renewable electricity produced or electricity consumption reduced by the system, as well as the climate region in which it is installed. (23)

The Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator has produced an online calculator to help you determine the number of STCs that you can obtain for your product. 

What about Carbon Offsetting?

The Australian Climate Council advises that whilst there are some instances where carbon offsets are appropriate to use, they should always be a last resort. Every effort should be made to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions. (24)

However, carbon offsetting is available in Australia. For more information see the links below.

References

1. Harford, S. et al. (2019) Sustainable dentistry how-to guide: Energy, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
 (Accessed: March 23, 2023).

2. Duane, B., ed., 2022. Reducing the Energy Needs of Your Dental Practice. In: Sustainable Dentistry. Making a Difference. Cham: Springer Nature, pp. 53-72.

3. Bills calculator (no date) EnergyCut. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

4. Energy management for business – 1. Understand your energy use (no date) energy.gov.au. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

5. Conduct an energy audit (no date) energy.gov.au. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

6. Buildings – owners and tenants (no date) energy.gov.au. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

7. Guan, L., Berrill, T. and Brown, R.J. (2010) ‘Measurement of standby power for selected electrical appliances in Australia’, Energy and Buildings, 43(2–3), pp. 485–490. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.10.013.

8. Step 6 – switch off and save (no date) EnergyCut. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

9. Select your step (no date) EnergyCut. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

10. The 20 Step Guide to Cutting Energy Bills in Your Business – Step 9 Lower your heating, ventilation and air-conditioning costs (2015) EnergyCut. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

11. The 20 Step Guide to Cutting Energy Bills in Your Business – Step 10 Get comfortable with insulation (2015) EnergyCut. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

12. Duane, B., ed., 2022. Reducing the Energy Needs of Your Dental Practice. In: Sustainable Dentistry. Making a Difference. Cham: Springer Nature, pp. 53-72.

13. Steffen, W. et al. (2021) ‘Aim High, Go Fast: Why emissions need to plummet this decade’. Sydney: The Climate Council of Australia Limited.

14. Shift to renewables (no date) CitySwitch. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

15. Harford, S. et al. (2019) Sustainable dentistry how-to guide: Energy, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. (Accessed: March 23, 2023).

16. Get GreenPower (2023) GreenPower. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

17. Renewable energy (2020) YourHome. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

18. Dwyer, S. and James, G. (2020) Renewable energy, YourHome. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

19. Get GreenPower (2023) GreenPower. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

20. Renewable power incentives (no date) (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

21. Dwyer, S. and James, G. (2020) Renewable energy, YourHome. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

22. Small-scale-renewable-energy-scheme (2023) Clean Energy Regulator. (Accessed: 17 May 2023).

23. Small-scale-technology-certificates (2022) Clean Energy Regulator. (Accessed: 17 May 2023).

24. What is carbon offsetting and is it worthwhile? (2023) Climate Council. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).