Reduce the juice: how to beat the carbon tax

David Wilson
July 5, 2012
the Age

Take charge of your energy consumption.

The carbon tax could reportedly drive power bills up by 20 per cent.

“The one thing that all small businesses need to understand about the carbon tax is that your energy costs will increase and – in some instances – quite considerably,” says the co-director of the environmental group Sustainability at Work, Melissa Houghton.

A small business owner gets no direct government compensation. Your only gain is that your “instant asset write-off threshold” rises from $5000 to $6500.

Hayley Purbrick has applied heat-reflective paint in order to cool her restaurant and cut down on airconditioning costs.

So you might want to take charge of your energy consumption, like Hayley Purbrick, of Tahbilk Winery in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. Among other measures, Purbrick has applied rust-grey heat-reflective paint in a bid to cool her restaurant whose iron roof stokes summer temperatures. Purbrick is “convinced” the paint will work where her airconditioning system alone has failed.

In another energy saving step, she plans to change the various kinds of light bulbs dotted around the winery to light-emitting diodes. Her LED conversion will cut emissions and electricity use by 60 per cent, Purbrick says.

Here are 10 more workplace energy conservation tips for small business owners.

1. Switch appliances off at the power point – that simple act can save you about $125 a year and cut your carbon pollution by 500 kilos per year, says the general manager at Appliances Online, Peter Harris. Remember to switch off PCs and laptops, Harris says.

2. Businesses should also inspect the appliances they use in the staff room or kitchen, Harris says. Old fridges are some of the worst energy-wasting appliances. Swapping a 10-year-old fridge for a new 4.5 star-rated fridge can halve the amount of electricity used, saving you about $145 a year, he says.

3. Actively invest in energy-efficient office appliances. Note the star rating, which gives a quick comparative assessment of a model’s energy efficiency and should also provide an estimate of its annual consumption, Harris says.

4. Replace old airconditioning units. Exchanging airconditioners that are over 10 years old can cut your annual heating and cooling costs by up to 40 per cent, Harris says. In general, Harris recommends Mitsubishi. He also favours Panasonic reverse-cycle air conditioners and Dimplex portable units.

5. Consider solar – a “fantastic alternative, especially for hot water systems”, Harris says. Solar saves you about $150 on yearly power bills and slashes your hot water system’s consumption by 70 per cent, he adds, citing New South Wales Government Save Power figures.

6. Measure how much energy your business uses, says environmental expert Melissa Houghton. Analyse old bills or take readings from your energy meter, Houghton suggests. Remember that, because the price of energy is rising, the cost will not initially reflect reduced usage. But, she adds, “if you don’t measure it, you can’t reduce it”. Keep measuring.

7. Reduce your heating temperature by two to three degrees, and rug up, says Houghton. Meantime, she says, check that all fridge and oven seals are leak-free because the cost of refrigeration gases is set to rocket.

8. Ensure you know of any government help available through the clean energy scheme, says Houghton. For information, visit the Clean Energy Future website].

9. Another consumption-cutting tip, from Origin Energy, is to opt for small computer monitors. According to Origin, the average computer uses about 120 watts per hour, with the monitor consuming up to half of that total.

10. Finally, think before you print, says Origin. Remember that inkjet printers use up to 90 per cent less energy than laser printers. Also note that colour printing can waste more energy than black and white.

Read more: