Energy efficiency initiatives and behind-the-meter solar PV installations are usually the most cost-effective way of reducing energy costs. Implementing these initiatives result in larger and more sustainable cost savings than simply negotiating with energy retailers for sharper prices or doing a Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) with a third party whether you are an SME or a large business.

However, there are several significant barriers that businesses face in implementing energy efficiency measures and investing in solar. […]

In the first article of the four-part series, we looked at how the cheapest electricity is the electricity that you do not use and the many opportunities to capture the low hanging fruit of energy efficiencies.

In the second article, we looked at how savings can be achieved by purchasing electricity at wholesale market pool prices and then achieving […]

In the first article of the four-part series, we looked at how the cheapest electricity is the electricity that you do not use and the many opportunities to capture the low hanging fruit of energy efficiencies.

In the second article, we looked at how savings can be achieved by purchasing electricity at wholesale market pool prices and then achieving even further savings by employing Demand […]

In the previous article on reducing electricity costs we looked at energy efficiency and the fact that the cheapest electricity is the electricity that you don’t consume.

In this article we will look at how to pay less for the electrons that you do consume.

The article is based on Chapter 13 (Step 6) of my book “Power Profits – A Comprehensive 9-Step Framework for Reducing Electricity Costs and Boosting Profits”.

Retailers bundle up electricity products […]

We all know that electricity prices have escalated dramatically over the last couple of years. But did you know that it is possible to offset these increases and even achieve cost reductions in the face of increasing retail prices?

Electricity bills are composed of:

1. Energy charges (the cost of the electrons that you consume)
2. Network charges (the cost of the supply infrastructure required to deliver the electrons to you)
3. Retail supply charges (the cost of the […]
   

Pool prices fell last week due to strong wind generation throughout most of the week and some negative half-hour prices dragging the average down below the median price.

The average price was a relatively low $61.09/MWh with the median price being $65.13/MWh. The average was lower than the median due to several half-hour periods of negative prices, the lowest of which was -$366.10/MWh. There were no half-hour prices above $300/MWh and […]

With the recent recommendations of the ACCC to implement a demand response mechanism to “promote competition” and “not allow retailers to limit the ability of customers to engage a third party demand response provider” I thought that I would share excerpts from Chapter 13 of my recent book Power Profits – A Comprehensive 9-Step Framework For Reducing Electricity Costs and Boosting Profits.

This Chapter discusses how end users have the option not to accept plain […]

Prices increased in the week of 22nd – 28th July due to one high price spike on Saturday the 28th when wind generation and imports from Victoria dropped to almost zero during the morning high demand period. High-cost Open Cycle Gas Turbine Generation (OCGT)  and diesel generation were required to meet demand during this period. The average price was $93.10/MWh compared with the prior week of $76.20/MWh.

Figure 1 shows a box […]

South Australian Wholesale Electricity Price Review 8th – 21st July

This week’s blog covers the last two weeks electricity price action as I was “curtailed” last weekend with higher demand elsewhere.

The prices during the week of the 8th-14th July were significantly higher than previous weeks due to a scheduled outage of a transmission line connecting the South East of the State to the rest of South Australia on the 9th July.  This […]

The wind returned to South Australia last week increasing wind generation and pushing down wholesale market electricity prices to an average weekly price of $64.99/MWh. Peak period prices averages $73.78/MWh (7.38 c/kWh) and off-peak period prices averaged $58.70/MWh (5.87 c/kWh).

Figure 1 shows the box plot of the daily distribution of half-hour prices for the week. The distribution of half-hour prices dropped sharply on Tuesday 3^rd July and remained low for the remainder of the weak. […]