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Powering Up After COVID-19

Powering back up after lockdown isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. In March 2020, food and beverage businesses began to shift operations in response to COVID-19, with measures taken across Australia to enforce social distancing and reduce on site occupancy.

Now, as state governments ease restrictions, you might be thinking about resuming business as usual.

But before you do, there are some important things you should be aware of to reduce your energy costs and avoid additional charges.

Below are some quick and easy tips to help your business power up operations back to normal.

Start on the front foot
If you are still on partial or total lock-down, this is a great opportunity to revisit your processes and consider energy efficiency upgrades or a new energy contract.

Consider an energy agreement that connects you with the true price of energy so that you can align your operations with times when energy is cheaper.

Get the timing right
Powering up during times of high demand puts a strain on the energy system and can lead to higher energy costs.

Even though you may be powering back up to normal levels, you may need to pay increased tariffs due to the demand you’re putting on the system.

Some equipment takes longer to start up, so start early. This may include a tap beer glycol system, post mix system, refrigeration and freezing units, as well as heating and air conditioning.

Automating your processes can help too. This may include setting your heating or cooling to come on at a certain time or using the self-clean function on a combi oven when demand for power is low.

Know your operations
Start with business critical operations and work your way towards full operations.

With patron limits, this could mean opening just one dining area midweek, offering a limited menu to operate less back of house equipment and simply using one front of house service area.

Take it easy with lighting
Your first instinct might be to turn on all of your lights, but lights can be a major energy drain.

When powering back up to full capacity, only light the areas you need and switch to energy-efficient lighting like LEDs and CLFs.

Keep it cool
Restocking fridges to full capacity will help them to chill faster and use less power to maintain temperatures.

For fridges that have been hibernated, position these in well-ventilated areas away from sunlight or heat from other equipment.

Powering your venue back up in stages will help your business avoid spending more than it needs to on power and will also help support the energy system.

Get ready for the future
If your energy agreement is up for renewal, use this time to look for a more flexible solution.

Energy rates have fallen to four year lows so choose a solution that reflects this change.

If you want to make the most of prices continuing to fall in the future, consider a plan that allows you to move to the new lower rate.

Get Power Active
If you’re looking for a flexible energy plan that connects you with the real price of energy and allows you to make the most of falling energy rates — it’s time to get Power Active.

Visit the Flow Power website to find out about the ways Power Active is helping Australian businesses save on energy costs. Click here.

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