Quality Energy

Business Energy Saving Tips for the Winter Season

Business energy efficiency can be a struggle through the winter months, with cold snaps and environmental conditions causing measurable increases in energy usage. Here are some tips on how to save energy in commercial and industrial operations, from voltage optimization and energy audit specialists.

#1 Have a Professional Energy Audit

It’s challenging and inefficient to implement an energy saving project when you don’t know how much energy you are wasting and where that wastage lies. An energy audit will show exactly how your facility performs, as well as where the most meaningful potential improvements lie. This helps with buy-in, making your project more ROI-driven and cost-effective.

#2 Optimise Heating Systems

Heating takes up a big portion of commercial and industrial energy bills in the winter, so it’s a good place to start when looking for savings. Heating systems and buildings should be properly insulated and weatherproofed (this will help regulate cooling costs in summer too), glazing should be improved and a high-efficiency heating system installed if yours is beyond its lifespan. In Australia, each state has rebate and incentive programs to make implementing these types of improvements more affordable.

#3 Improve Your Lighting

Lighting is another big energy user in commercial and industrial facilities, and the cost creeps up in winter with darker mornings and less light in the afternoon. Sufficient lighting is essential for workplace safety and productivity, so consider installing LED lighting with zoned and timer capabilities rather than switching lights off. LED lighting technology is ideal for all commercial and industrial applications, from warehouse and office lighting to security lighting. It not only uses considerably less energy to run, it also provides better quality light (many buildings can reduce the number of light fixtures) and offers a longer lifespan to lower maintenance costs.

#4 Invest in Voltage Optimisation

Voltage optimization offers year-round benefits, not just in the winter months. With the increasing digitization of many industrial and commercial facilities, voltage optimization has become a key issue in the prevention of tripping and the protection of sensitive electronic equipment. Effective voltage optimization ensures a steady, clean flow of energy to your facility, free of harmonics, surges and dips that are a regular occurrence on the grid – and are especially apparent when cold snaps cause a surge in demand. This lowers maintenance costs, energy usage and downtime risks, preserving productivity while supporting business energy efficiency.

Meet Business Energy Efficiency Goals this Winter

Quality Energy is a leading provider of power quality solutions and support to commercial and industrial facilities in all industries across Australia, including schools, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, airports, shopping centres and more. Contact us today for a comprehensive energy audit and an affordable, ROI-driven custom solution that supports your business energy efficiency goals.

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Energy demand is increasing worldwide. The energy market situation is heating up and energy prices are on the rise. Instabilities in many exporting and transit countries are a cause for concern and the increased combustion of fossil energy sources is accelerating climate change. An expansion of energy supply options is costly and will take time. […]
Energy efficiency and why you need it? — International Journal of Research (IJR)

Resilience – A Key Part of Organisational Energy Strategies

Without a regular, reliable supply of affordable power that provides security in the event of a blackout, organisations and industrial facilities are operating in a state of uncertainty where the potential costs to productivity are high. In this article, we are exploring the concept of energy resilience – what it means, why it is valuable and how organisations can achieve it.

What is Energy Resilience?

This is a strategy that is designed and implemented to help ensure a constant supply of electricity to your facility’s network to ensure that production and operations can continue under all by the most severe circumstances. It is about managing risks effectively by eliminating downtime that results from realistic negative energy scenarios like power cuts and surges, poor power supply, costly energy, natural disasters and even human error.

As energy supply changes from outdated centralised infrastructure to renewables and smaller plants, organisations are left to deal with rising energy costs (including transmission and distribution costs), fluctuating supply and risk of blackout during maintenance or repairs.

The Value of Energy Resilience

Building energy resilience in an organisation is a costly investment – but the costs of not adapting to a changing world are much higher. Agility and flexibility are key in a world where critical services – for example, cloud data storage – are relied upon 24/7, and where every competitive edge is needed in order to meet customer demands and succeed within the industry.

It’s also about being able to play a more effective and positive role in your community as a whole. For example, when a peak-summer heatwave strikes and your high-energy use facility is connected to the grid, it is easier to manage your facility’s demand as total energy demand climbs, helping to prevent disruptions to capacity and prevent grid blackouts.

A proactive energy strategy focussing on resilience allows organisations to use energy resources and a strategy lever in expanding their business or accessing new opportunities. When your business can operate independently of the grid, in the face of blackouts, storms and natural disasters, your reliability soars in the face of your consumers and investors.

Energy resilience is not a new thing, but it is an increasingly important thing. One reason for this is increasing concern over climate change, where large organisations and facilities are in the best position to tackle environmental issues by investing in renewables and even making renewable energy available to others. This is an invaluable strategy to win consumer trust and goodwill. Another reason for this is that threats to energy resilience are on the rise. Weather is more extreme more often, terrorist threats are a reality (and energy infrastructure is a priority target), national and regional grids are older and unable to keep up with the increasing demand as economic development increases alongside industrial digitisation.

The cost of a lack of energy resilience are high too, from the disruption of your business, the inability to run during peak production periods or having to temporarily shut your office completely. Market risks are also high, with resilience threats directly impacting your financial performance.

At the same time, energy alternatives are more available and more supported than ever before, with the costs of solar and energy storage decreasing even as the technology increases in effectiveness. Governments are largely onboard, helping to incentivise organisations to save energy and build energy resilience through solar and renewables programs, offsetting the initial costs that can be off-putting.

Interested in Committing to Energy Resilience? Speak to the Quality Energy Team

With over 30 years of industry experience working on commercial and industrial facilities of every size and in every sector, the Quality Energy team is uniquely positioned to assist you in achieving your energy resilience strategy.

We tailor our services to each client’s needs, industry and budget, performing comprehensive audits and risk assessments in addition to custom designing, implementing and servicing our solutions. These solutions range from power factor correction and voltage optimisation to solar power systems and storage.

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=PVnQ87Fvsk4%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26autohide%3D2%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent

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How to Reduce Energy Consumption in Data Centres

Data centres are a critical service provider for numerous sectors, from the financial industry and healthcare industry to managed IT services and more. The nature of these facilities mean that high energy costs are a normal part of doing business – yet there are ways to help control and save on these bills, including PFC solutions and comm ercial solar panels. Here’s some insight from the specialists in power factor correction in Australia.

Correctly Sizing Physical Equipment

Right-sizing a data centre’s load is one of the most impactful ways of saving on a monthly electricity bill, simply by minimising fixed losses that are inherent in all heating and cooling systems while saving on IT load. With the correct approach to right-sizing, facilities can save up to 50% of their energy costs.

Commercial Solar Panels

The size, location and needs of data centres make installing commercial solar panels a common-sense project. With a once-off investment in the right technology, your commercial solar installation will provide many years of free power to your data centre.

It’s true that investing in solar has never been a cheap option (if you want to optimise your returns), but it is cheaper than ever before. In addition, the Australian government has made this tech even more accessible through the Economic Response to the Coronavirus by increasing instant asset write off from $30,000 to $150,000 to businesses with an annual turnover of less than $500 million. There is also a 15-month investment incentive with no asset value threshold, which allows these businesses to accelerate depreciation deductions.

Energy Efficient Lighting

If a data centre is using anything other than LED lighting, it is missing out on significant savings. In addition to lasting far longer than any other bulbs on the market while using a fraction of the energy, LED lightbulbs also run cool, so they don’t add to the data centre’s already-significant cooling costs. The light they provide is better for your employees as well as your tech, helping improve productivity and comfort by supplying the closest thing to natural light within the building. Just a saving of 1-3% on a data centre’s lighting bill is a commonsense investment when you look at how that adds up over 10 years.

PFC Solutions (Power Factor Correction in Australia)

For heavy energy users like data centres, a poor power factor can become a significant expense over the years, with energy wastage, damage to electrical equipment and downtime all adding up. After an energy audit, custom-made PFC solutions can be implemented that regulate energy coming onto your network, ensuring it is sufficient for the load and that dips and surges supply are effectively countered before they reach your equipment.

Ask Quality Energy About Advanced Power Factor Correction in Australia

Want to evaluate your facility for power factor correction in Australia? With decades of industry experience ensuring businesses and facilities of all sizes can access a clean, reliable energy supply, Quality Energy is the ideal partner for your data centre. We offer a comprehensive service, including energy audits, ROI projections, custom PFC solutions, and maintenance services. In addition, we also install high-quality commercial solar panels and backup systems. Contact us today for more information.

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Why Should Your Shopping Centre Go Solar?

All around Australia and the world, businesses are choosing to invest in solar power systems and renewable energy. But what are the benefits for the retail sector and why should your shopping centre consider solar panel services? Here is some insight from commercial solar and energy audit specialists.

Significant utility savings – The retail sector is one of the biggest energy users in Australia and it’s easy to see why – shops need constant lighting, air conditioning and heating, grocery stores need constant refrigeration and electronic security needs to run 24/7. While you have to pay for energy from the grid, energy from the sun is essentially free once your solar power systems are paid for – and this means significant long-term savings for your site, even if you still rely on the grid at night.
Earn off your system – The Australian government has a range of programs and low-interest loans that not only make financing commercial solar power systems easier and more affordable, they also allow commercial sites to sell any excess solar energy back into the grid in the form of small-scale technology certificates (STCs) and large-scale generation certificates (LGCs). This makes solar panel services even more affordable especially when you utilise your full roof and parking structure space.
Earn customer loyalty – The fight against climate change is one that the public are passionate about and actively support, so going green is a great move for your centre. Brands want to be associated with sustainability for the same reason, making it an attractive location for tenants. Showing your dedication to the planet increases loyalty amongst tenants and customers.
It’s more affordable than you think – The biggest barrier to committing to commercial solar power systems is the upfront cost. However, it is important to have a long-term view of the savings, which can be analysed in an energy audit of your shopping centre. In addition, the state and federal incentives have just been increased to make these costs even more affordable. The Economic Response to the Coronavirus has increased the instant asset write off from $30,000 to $150,000 to businesses with an annual turnover of less than $500 million. There is also a 15-month investment incentive with no asset value threshold, which allows these businesses to accelerate depreciation deductions.

Want to Reap the Rewards of Solar Power? Get an Assessment and Energy Audit from National Solar Panel Services Providers

Quality Energy has been in the commercial and industrial energy solutions sector for over 30 years, helping clients find innovative and cost-effective ways of improving power quality and reaching their energy saving goals. As national solar panel services providers, we can assist you with every step of developing, implementing and servicing your shopping centre’s solar power system. Contact us today for more information on our solar power systems or to schedule an energy audit.

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