City of Adelaide support to help businesses find hidden savings
The City of Adelaide Energy Assessments for Small Business program launched in May 2021 and is already yielding results.
When it comes to energy efficiency, sometimes small fixes can be surprisingly effective.
Fixing ovens, lights and cool rooms could save over $1,500 per year at The Historian Hotel
The Historian Hotel in Coromandel Place has been one of the first businesses to access support on how to save electricity.
While their kitchen has been making do with a faulty oven door, the heat losses were starting to stack up as electricity costs. Following a visit from an expert assessor, the business received information to show that a new oven would pay for itself in five years from the electricity bill savings, however the up-front cost is a bit of a barrier.
The $5,000 contribution available from the City of Adelaide will reduce that payback to around two years. After that, there’s ongoing savings on electricity bills every year, enhanced equipment performance and improved staff comfort.
As an added bonus, owner Jack Horsnell was able to see exactly where his cool room was leaking cold air, with the help of some infra-red vision provided by a thermal camera. A nearly free fix-up with some silicon and expanding foam will also help to lower electricity bills.
A thermal image from inside a cool room detects leaks, which can be hidden cost.
Better, quieter air-conditioning helps customers and owners relax
On Hutt Street, ZhuJun (Mary) Yang has discovered it is going to be a breeze to replace an older “window rattler” air conditioner with a new efficient model in her massage therapy business. With help from the City of Adelaide’s program she can claim around $3,000 off the upfront cost, gaining a new system that will pay for itself in less than a year through electricity bill savings.
Along with a couple of lighting upgrades, her whole bill could be reduced by around a third, on an ongoing basis. Having quieter air-conditioning is going to mean a better experience for customers relaxation too.
Together if these two businesses implement all the energy saving ideas recommended, they will also save 2.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from entering the atmosphere. Every action like this contributes to our shared ambition of a carbon neutral city, with many businesses finding ways to play their part.
Read more about the carbon neutral ambition for the City of Adelaide.