Energy Efficiency

When people think of reducing their energy bills they usually think of solar energy systems, but it’s actually best to first step back and take a look at your energy use as a whole. To make the most of solar power you first need to reduce your energy use as much as possible with efficient appliances and practices so you don’t buy an unnecessarily large system. By understanding how and when your organisation is using energy, you’ll be better placed to make use of renewable energy sources, such as installing solar panels, or swapping out old inefficient appliances for newer more environmentally friendly alternatives such as led lighting, heat pumps, and induction stovetops.

Energy Efficiency Audits

One of the first places to start when considering how to cut carbon emissions and energy costs is to conduct an energy efficiency audit. After auditing your organisation’s energy efficiency, you will have a blueprint which you can use as the basis for a plan to both optimise your energy use and lay the groundwork for installing renewable energy like solar panels. 

Pinpointing where there is energy wastage can often result in simple cost-free actions that lead to long-term savings, and also help to significantly lower your organisation’s carbon footprint. 

Where an audit identifies that you need to upgrade equipment, it should provide you with figures you can use to argue your case for the investment. You should receive an estimate of capital cost, energy savings, return on investment measures such as Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return, and payback period. 

Depending on the size of your organisation and the complexity of the equipment a professional Level 2 energy audit is likely to cost between $1,000-$5,000. This might seem like a lot but compare it to your annual energy costs. For larger organisations this is often only a small proportion of their annual energy bill and well worth the investment if you find it can reduce your bill significantly.

Energy Efficiency Project Funding for Non Profits

CORENA is always happy to answer questions about energy audits and talk you through the process of having one done. If you need a zero interest loan to fund your audit, get in contact, we are able to provide a loan for these in certain circumstances. CORENA is also happy to consider loans for energy efficiency actions such as lighting retrofits or replacing old hot water, air conditioning or heating systems with new efficient alternatives.

Check out our free Energy Efficiency guides…