With Energy prices rising substantially from July 1st 2022, there has never been a more important time to switch your business from a Large to a Small business. Most business owners are classified as small (use under 100MWh’s a year) or large (use over 100MWh’s a year).
Table 1 below shows the difference between a small customer on Tariff 20 and a large customer on tariff 44 with Ergon Energy. While Tariff 44 customers enjoy a lower kWh charge, they are charged $45.80 a day to be connected and $26.57 a KW for a demand charge. It is this connection fee and demand charge that can really make up your power bill if you are just above the 100 MWh threshold.
As you can see below moving from a Large to a Small customer can make a significant difference to your annual power bill. Tariff 20 is only $1.35 a day to be connected and has no Demand Charges.
How Can a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Make a Difference?
The only way you can move from a Large customer to a Small customer, is through less usage of Electricity per month. A great way to achieve this is to use energy from the sun through a solar PPA. With a Solar PPA you spend NO CAPITAL on a solar system but purchase the clean energy from it at a cheaper rate than the grid. The benefit is that you can move from a large customer to a small customer using $0 Capital.
Table 2 shows the benefit of having a 39KW Solar System on your roof as a Solar PPA. A 39KW Solar system on average produces 4500 kWh’s a month or 54 MWh’s a year. The example shows what your energy bill could look like if you purchased this solar energy through a Solar PPA instead of using the grid.
If your business uses all this solar it would reduce your monthly usage from 8500 kWh’s to 4000 kWh’s. Businesses do operate differently however we know that for example Gyms, Pub’s, Clubs, Motels, Hotels, Shops, Caravan Parks and Retirement Villages are perfect for this. You could be seeing savings up to $15,634 a year in energy bills with a $0 Capital outlay by moving from a Large to a Small Business.
Going solar by purchasing a Solar System outright or by using a Solar PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) can make a large difference to your energy bill and to your journey to NetZero. Horan & Bird have flexible Solar PPA’s that are Landlord friendly and will match your lease periods. We also have a new Mobile Solar Range that is zero risk and an obligation free proposition for both landlords and tenants alike.
If your business is looking at saving thousands off your electricity bill, contact us today.
Founder of Horan & Bird. Director of Master Electricians Australia and Board Member of Solar Accreditation Australia. John has played a key entrepreneurial role in the transformation of the Energy Landscape in Queensland.
