ONE Orange business stands to save 25 per cent on its electricity bill after a visit from an energy expert.
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Orange Energy Week has been under way this week, a joint effort between the state government, the NSW Business Chamber and Orange and Cabonne councils.
The partnership sent the Australian Energy Foundation's Jason Cox to conduct free site visits and one-on-one consultations with businesses, on everything from energy 101 to batteries, cooling and pumps.
Whittaker Contracting received a visit on Thursday and finance manager Stewart Church said the first thing Mr Cox did was examine his electricity bill.
"He said, 'Where's your discount? You should be getting a discount'," he said.
"Most people don't know what they're looking for."
After further examination, they found a discount in place on previous bills, worth 25 per cent of the total bill, had gone missing from later bills.
We're diesel mechanics and boilermakers so we use a lot of energy.
- Whittaker Contracting finance manager Stewart Church
The company currently pays $13,000 a quarter for electricity and Mr Church said the amount saved would help cover other day-to-day costs.
"It would be great to reinvest it in other energy savings," he said.
Mr Church said Mr Cox was impressed with the rest of the business, which invested in solar panels 12 months ago to power its 24-hour operations.
"We're diesel mechanics and boilermakers so we use a lot of energy and we're very conscious of our energy usage," he said.
"We're already doing a lot of what we should be doing."
Mr Church said the business would receive a report with further recommendations, which would include setting timers on equipment and ensuring the business made the most of its solar power.
"It's a great thing when someone's offering to help you, especially when it doesn't have a price," he said.
He said he was also given a state government contact to help the business connect better with other programs.
"Most people in decision-making are concentrating on their business and not spending time scouring releases and sometimes you don't qualify," he said.
"It's about having the people who know [those details] to help you."
To register for assistance, email energysaver@environment.nsw.gov.au
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