Negawatt, Author at Negawatt Energy Solutions?

Financial comparison site iSelect has been ordered to pay $8.5million as it misled customers choosing electricity plans.  They have admitted that their commercial arrangements with electricity retailers restricted the plans available to customers, meaning that the recommended plan was not necessarily the best price. ACCC Chair Rod Sims was quoted as saying “about 38 per cent of… more

Most people probably don’t have the time or inclination to read the report State Of The Energy Market 2020 from the Australian Energy Market Operator.  Here is their Snapshot on the National Energy Market:   As ageing coal generators exit the market, over 93 per cent of investment since 2012–13 has been in wind and solar plant,… more

Don’t wait until Summer to look at your electricity invoices and wonder what you could do to reduce them.  Act now! Negawatt Energy Solutions has a range of options for reducing your energy consumption during the warmer months when air conditioning often becomes your highest energy consumer.  Pre-cooling solutions on HVAC using misting technology is proving to… more

  In recent years, many networks have changed the way that they charge for Demand and Capacity.  Your network tariff has changed the Demand component from being charged on the basis of kW, to being charged on the basis of kVa.  This means that if you have poor Power Factor, your electricity costs are higher than they… more

With COVID-19 not looking like going anywhere, we have been asked about the availability of HVAC treatment systems to minimise the risks of exposure in Corporate, Hospitality and Retail Environments.  We have been looking at an air purification system for HVAC, it sits in the ducts to filter and sanitise, and can be programmed to sterilise areas… more

Pricing over recent months has been extremely low, with retail pricing dropping by over 40% from January highs.  These reductions have been in part due to previously unavailable generation assets coming back on-line, but largely due to reduced demand from COVID-19 shutdowns and non-essential business closures. The traditional “winter spike” in demand has largely been insignificant so… more

Do you have a site in South Australia?  Received an invoice with some strange Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) charges on it that are astronomically high? These charges are Frequency Control Ancillary Charges (FCAS) and are applied by AEMO due to extraordinary network events that caused significant additional costs in supplying power.  Whilst there have been a… more

Has your business been impacted by the COVID-19 “lockdowns”?  Let’s be serious, unless you are a bank, everyone has been impacted. It is still a moving feast, but there are a range of relief programs starting to be announced.  Most retailers are not offering anything beyond standard Payment Plans and Hardship Provisions, but some are offering “blend… more

Simply described, air conditioning and refrigeration operates on the basis of using compressed gases to cool a condenser coil that is used to make the spaces cooler.  Unfortunately, these condenser coils are normally located outdoors, operating in temperatures often exceeding 35 degrees or more.  The problem is, most air conditioning and refrigeration systems are not designed to… more

How did your load profile look over the December and January extreme weather conditions?  If you don’t know you really need to talk to us.  Like most, your demand and capacity charges probably increased due to higher demand for air conditioning.  If you are really unlucky your network sets your capacity charges for the next 12 months… more