Start with measurement
Energy efficiency advice is only as good as the data behind it. Before recommending changes, we want to understand how the site uses power: when the peaks happen, which loads run overnight, and how much goes to lighting, air conditioning, refrigeration, compressed air or production equipment.
Depending on the site, that might involve:
- Reviewing electricity bills and interval data from your retailer
- Installing a temporary power logger on the main supply or key circuits
- Walking the site after hours to see what stays on
- Checking time clocks, controls and sensor settings
- Talking to staff about how equipment is actually used
The result is a clear picture of where the energy goes, which tells us where changes will make a real difference and where they will not.
Load analysis and demand management
Many commercial electricity tariffs include demand charges based on the highest load the site draws during a billing period. A short peak, such as every air conditioner and compressor starting at once on a Monday morning, can set the demand charge for the whole month.
Load analysis shows when those peaks happen and what causes them. Practical fixes are often simple: staggering equipment start times, adjusting air conditioning schedules, moving non-urgent loads such as water heating or EV charging to quieter periods, or adding controls that limit load when the site approaches a set level. We explain the options in plain terms and help you decide what is worth doing. Our article on how to reduce business electricity costs covers more of the thinking.
Sub-metering
Sub-metering lets you see what individual areas, tenancies or pieces of equipment use. It is useful for:
- Recharging electricity to tenants in multi-tenant buildings
- Tracking the consumption of major plant such as chillers, compressors or refrigeration
- Measuring the effect of an upgrade before and after
- Identifying equipment that is drawing more than it should
We install sub-meters in switchboards and distribution boards, with remote reading where required. Where board space is limited, sub-metering is often done alongside a switchboard upgrade.
Power quality
Power quality problems include voltage fluctuations, harmonics from drives and electronic loads, poor power factor and unbalanced loads across the three phases. They can cause nuisance tripping, overheating of cables and transformers, flickering lights and premature failure of sensitive equipment. They can also mean the site draws more current than the useful work requires.
We use power quality logging to identify problems, then recommend fixes such as rebalancing loads across phases, addressing faulty equipment, or installing power factor correction where it suits the site. We also check that the correction equipment itself is working, as failed or poorly maintained units are common.
LED retrofits, controls and timers
Lighting is usually the simplest place to start. Replacing fluorescent, metal halide and halogen lighting with LED reduces energy use and maintenance, and adding occupancy and daylight sensors stops lights running in empty spaces. We cover this in detail on our commercial lighting page.
A lot of wasted energy comes from equipment running when nobody needs it: air conditioning in empty offices, exhaust fans running overnight, signage lighting on in daylight, hot water systems heating around the clock. Timers, sensors and simple control changes often fix these at low cost. In larger buildings, we can work with your mechanical contractor or building management system provider to align schedules with actual occupancy.
Before changing any control, we check why it was set that way. A fan that runs overnight may be there for a reason, such as ventilating a car park or a plant room, and switching it off could create a compliance or equipment problem. We confirm what each load does before recommending a change.
Solar, batteries and EV charging
For some sites, energy efficiency work leads naturally into questions about on-site solar, batteries or EV charging. Understanding the site’s load profile first makes these decisions much better informed. Solar is most useful where the site uses power during the day, and EV charging can be scheduled around solar generation or off-peak periods. See our commercial EV charging page for more on managing charging load.
What you get from us
Energy efficiency work often overlaps with maintenance. A switchboard with loose or overheating connections wastes energy as heat and is a fire risk, so we often pair a load study with thermal imaging of the main boards. Old air conditioning, failing motors and poorly maintained power factor correction all show up in the data.
We do not promise particular savings figures before we have measured anything. What we do provide is a clear written summary of what we found, a list of recommended changes in priority order, and an upfront written quote for any work. Stefan runs the jobs himself, and all work is carried out to AS/NZS 3000 with compliance certificates issued on completion.