Implementation of massive electricity cost savings. 2012-06-24

Save 35% of your electricity bill just by working together with others. Before you even install Photovoltaic or Solar Water Heating Systems.

All you need to do is:

Phase1: Buy In

1) Change the way you and your colleagues/members think. The most difficult part of this process. The rest is relatively simple, but I find this first step to be the most difficult.

Phase 2: Metering

2) Install special meters in each unit so that you can track their usage at least every 1 minute, with automatic uploads to your server;

3) Install a server in your Body Corporate which records their people's usage. The server could be put in the "cloud" which will make it more secure;

4) Ask the members not to change their behaviour during the first 3 months after installing the special meters. The members can view their electricity usage either online on the web or on their smart-phones, just to ensure that the meters are working;

5) Negotiate with the members to pay the Body Corporate instead of the Utility (or City);

6) Negotiate TIme of Use and better Tariffs with the Utility as now you are a big user;

7) Wait 3 months and then ask people to reduce their consumption and move from peak to off-peak. Note that you will use the 3 months history that you have plus the people's last year's monthly history to calculate their electricity usage for the other 9 months of the year;

8) Give rebates to your members and at the same time start building up a fund for future Repairs and Maintenance. This fund could actually be used in the future to pay for Photovoltaic Systems so that you can make your own electricity;

Phase 3: Energy Efficiency

9) All the above is Phase 1. Once you have done this you start Phase 2, which involves more dramatic Energy Efficiency interventions reducing your electricity demand even more;

Phase 4: Producing your own Electricity

10) And then once this is done you start Phase 3. Where you install Photovoltaic and other systems to produce your own electricity, but where you still buy off peak electricity from the Utility, usually between 10pm and 6am.

What do you think? Do you have any questions? How can I be of assistance?