Are you a small business that is paying too much on your energy bill? Perhaps you haven’t checked your contract for some time? You can now get advice on fairer deals as well as compare your costs with other companies in your industry thanks to an $11.7 million program funded by the Australian government.

Australian Business Energy Advice Program

The government announced the Australian Business Energy Advice Program earlier this year following research that many small businesses fail to shop around and spend more money than they need to on energy expenses. The program supports small businesses via two free tools:

• A personalised energy advice service – Run by the NSW Business Chamber, businesses can access face-to-face, phone and online advice regarding their energy-saving opportunities and get support when switching plans. Businesses can register for the service here.
• A small business energy online benchmarking tool – Led by AlphaBeta and Xero Small Business Insights, eligible small businesses can compare their energy spend against other companies. The data offers a ‘true’ comparison based on the business type, location and other available filters. The tool can be accessed here.

Who is Eligible for the Energy Advice Program?

These services are available to small businesses in all Australian states and territories. If you’re a small business with between 6 and 20 employees, you are eligible to receive free advice on how to lower your energy bills. If your company has more than 20 or less than 6 staff, you can still find helpful advice here.

Additionally, the online comparison tool is available to small businesses with up 20 staff that earn up to $10 million in revenue and operate out of any type of premises as well as accountants, bookkeepers and energy experts. If you need more information, please contact us here.