FAQ

How can Smart Power help my organisation become more sustainable?

It starts with an accurate measure of your carbon emissions, because you can only properly manage the things you accurately monitor.

Next, we take a long, hard look at energy efficiency, enabled by an audit and data analysis. We’ll highlight options to reduce consumption, so you’ll receive the same or better outcomes from lower inputs.

Smart Power will also help you move away from old, carbon-heavy sources such as coal boilers. Our technical team can provide expert, independent advice to make the switch to electro-boilers or biofuels.

There may even be times when it’s better to use more energy, as long as that energy comes from a green source. For instance, batteries are not very efficient, but if you use them to store electricity from solar panels, you can offset that energy against more carbon-emitting sources.

The last step is procuring green energy. Whether it’s installing solar on your site or negotiating with a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), our procurement team can help you find the optimum solution.

Who should I contact regarding a tenant billing enquiry?

Please call our Smart Billing Solutions office on 09 5349644 and we can help with your billing and account queries. Alternatively, send an email to auckland@smartpower.co.nz.

Why should we be concerned about energy management?

Energy use in NZ alone increases by around 2% every year. We could save about 20% of that demand (or $2.4 billion a year) by using energy more efficiently and relying more on renewable resources.

We can all make changes that help to shrink overall energy demand. It could be something as simple as switching off lights when you leave a room, or choosing appliances with a higher star rating. By 2035, EECA estimates that through cost-effective energy efficiency and fuel substitution measures:

• Businesses could reduce their energy use by around 19 per cent through smarter energy management, more efficient equipment and replacing existing process heating systems with electric technologies.
• Households could reduce their energy use by around 20 per cent through more efficient space heating, water heating and lighting.
• Transport energy use could be reduced by around 27 per cent through more efficient driving practices, improved fuel economy and electric vehicles.

Benefits of better energy use

There are great reasons we should be making better use of our energy. It reduces energy costs in homes and buildings, increases productivity, and is less harmful to our environment. Being more energy efficient also has less obvious benefits. Fuel efficient driving, for example, is also safer driving. And people who live in well insulated homes not only use less energy, but are also warmer and healthier.

Energy conservation

Energy conservation means avoiding using energy and avoiding wasting energy. Conservation measures generally cost very little because they involve changes to our behaviour. An example would be turning off your television after you’ve finished watching it rather than leaving it switched on in standby mode. Energy efficiency Energy efficiency means getting the most from the energy we use. There are two ways to do this. We can use less energy for the same result, for example by installing more efficient lightbulbs. Or we can use the same amount of energy for a better result, such as a factory that has increased its production without consuming any more energy.

To become more energy efficient you may need to invest. So, calculate when your investment will result in higher productivity, lower energy bills or other benefits.

What are our Customers saying about Smart Power?

“Across Australia and New Zealand we manage a number of warehouse and distribution centres. Dealing with multiple retailers and networks was taking up too much time so we engaged Smart Power to handle our energy contracts. It saved us time, hassle and best of all we pay less for the power using Smart Power’s expertise” – Freightways and The Information Management Group

“Electricity markets are complex and electricity is a big spend for us. We don’t have the time to fully investigate or understand the market options so we looked for experts to manage and mitigate our risks and report our costs. Smart Power handles our energy procurement in New Zealand and Australia by advising us on strategy, market timing and facilitating the implementation of energy management projects.” – Lion

“We’ve used Smart Power for several years now and found them to be proactive in communicating savings opportunities” – Westpac

“We’ve successfully reduced our on-going energy cost by 30% utilising Smart Power” – ANZ

“With both our Energy Team and Accounting Team engaging with Smart Power regularly, at all times we felt that they were the paradigm of customer service, working to help us and for our best outcome” – Goulburn Valley Water

We are very proud that in our last independent customer survey, 100% of our customers rated our overall services as Above Average (53.12%) or Excellent (46.88%).  In the same survey, we asked for feedback, and specifically ‘what does Smart Power do well’ – we received the following comments:

• ‘Personalised, focused attention to detail, great analytical skills, trusted outcome, reassurance’
• ‘They understand our business and can tailor their support and advice to our needs’
• ‘Knowledge of the electricity market. They simplify a complex market for us’
• ‘Provides sound advice. Good technical expertise’
• ‘Whatever we ask’
• ‘Good response to questions and timely delivery of reports’

How does Power Factor Correction work?

By installing suitably sized switched capacitors into the power distribution circuit, the Power Factor is improved and the value becomes nearer to 1 thus minimising wasted energy, improving the efficiency of a site, liberating more kW from the available supply and saving you money!

What is Power Factor?

Power factor is the ratio between the kW and the kVA drawn by an electrical load where the kW is the actual load power and the kVA is the apparent load power.

Simply, it is a measure of how efficiently the load current is being converted into useful work output and more particularly is a good indicator of the effect of the load current on the efficiency of the supply system. When the power factor falls below a set figure, the electricity supply companies charge a premium on the kW being consumed, or, charge for the whole supply as kVA by adding reactive power charges (kVar) to the bill.