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Powering Your Practice
POWERING YOUR PRACTICE Local company WA Energy is stepping up to offer ADAWA members big discounts on dental practice energy bills.
If you thought all energy providers were large companies driven by profit margins, you could be pleasantly surprised by the operation of WA Energy. The boutique energy solution provider (which includes a full-time electrical engineer as their project manager, customer service specialists, residential solar team, and commercial business energy solar team), aims to save Australian businesses and households money through effective energy management and solar energy. “WA Energy is a not just another solar retailer but a full-scale energy savings company,” says Shahmeer Khan, WA Energy general manager. “We are a leading energy solutions company that offers commercial solar, residential solar, electricity/gas procurement, embedded networks, EV chargers and hybrid batteries.” Partnership with ADAWA Shahmeer says the government is subsidising up to $52,516, or about 40%, of the total cost of solar for businesses such as dental practices. On December 31, the subsidies reduce by 8%. “As part of the COVID relief package, a dental practice or other business may write off 100% of the total cost of solar this financial year,” he adds. WA Energy’s partnership with ADAWA entitles members to: • Grouped electricity pricing • Grouped solar pricing • $0 solar for practices – even for those who lease their premises • Energy advice and consulting • Discounts for home packages for staff and family Visit page 37 to find out more!
WHAT OTHER BUSINESSES ARE SAYING “WA Energy is setting the standard in energy savings and energy income strategies. The Smart Energy Solution is the only full-scale energy solution in the market.”
Ross Puglisi CEO, IGA Pharm Group
wa
$16,058
ESTIMATED ENERGY SAVINGS PER YEAR
How they compete with the big guys
Shahmeer says WA Energy has a unique market offering. “Our competitors are very rigid and operate in one space without deep understanding of how to combine all the faculties,” he says. “Traditionally, if customers want to save money on their power bills, they try to find another energy retailer or find a solar company. “However, energy pricing tends to get higher every year and without knowing the ins and outs, the customer doesn’t get cheaper electricity and they get put on difficult contracts with penalty clauses. Energy retailers are heavily compliant focused. Customers hate compliance. “If they try to install solar, there are countless solar installers but very few genuine solar retailers out there. In the commercial space, it’s even more difficult as energy retailers normally charge a penalty for installing solar. Most solar companies have no experience on the regulatory requirements and customers end up paying more over the long run. Additionally, the solar companies aren’t around long enough to offer the warranties due to the stop and start nature of the game. It’s too volatile and customers get disheartened.”
Having been in both the electricity and solar space, WA Energy is able to offer versatile solutions tailored to the customer. “We analyse energy load data and work out the best solution for a particular business,” he explains. “We look at funding and offer ways to save money without any capital being spent for the customer. As we work on behalf of the customer rather than against them there is the trust and long-term approach to all our solutions. We approach every customer with transparency, honesty, and integrity. We care – and ultimately that works with our unique total energy solution for a business.” According to Shahmeer, WA Energy can save businesses generally from 40-80% on their total energy, and 5-10% discount on energy rates.
CASE STUDY Big Brews Liquor
As successful liquor store operators, Big Brews recognised the need to reduce energy consumption to curtail high energy costs. Flavia and Bruno sought advice from WA Energy after receiving recommendations from the LSAWA. Flavia and Bruno’s problem was not only that they had high energy prices and large consumption, they were not happy with the service or solution from the multiple solar companies that had approached them. Upon request, WA Energy sat down and detailed a plan for Big Brews. It included renegotiating new energy contracts without penalty clauses and lower tariffs. Whilst also including 40kW of Smart Solar with Smart Metering, which gave them the capacity to monitor their loads at any given period. WA Energy continues to maintain a relationship with Big Brews as the ongoing energy management service means their investment is maintained and advice is given for many years to come.
WHAT OTHER BUSINESSES ARE SAYING
“From Brian in sales, to Ash managing the project, to the install team on site - WA Energy are nothing but professional. Easy to deal with, 100% customer focused, efficient, tidy tradesman and everything explained in plain English so even I could understand it all. Simply first class from a domestic install point of view and a commercial install point of view. Highly recommended from me and I consider myself a harsh critic.”
Safety World
Customer service
Sheba Tedla, WA Energy operations manager, says some customers can be apprehensive of purchasing solar products because there are so many options available, but she stresses that at WA Energy, their focus in on helping their customers make the best decision, to get the best-quality product at the best price. She adds their after-sales support is second-to-none. “We are WA owned, so our customers will know each member of our team by name,” she says. “We might be a small team, but our ambition is big – we are a premium brand, offering premium products. “We also offer monitoring, so we can keep an eye on the performance of a system, which other providers don’t offer.” According to Rosemarie Purser, WA Energy customer liaison officer, WA Energy’s point of difference is their focus on customer service. “All the staff here answer their phones after hours,” she says. “We understand that professionals such as dentists work long hours, so we are always willing to take after-hours calls. “We want our customers to be happy with our product, not only now, but in the future.”
CASE STUDY High Wycombe Shopping Centre
High Wycombe Shopping Centre is a large local shopping centre consisting of Supa IGA, Anytime Fitness and Caring Pharmacy as some of its key retailers. Originally, Anytime Fitness and Supa IGA agreed to install 100kW and 15kW above the rooftop of their tenancies. Other tenancies joined, taking the shopping centre to a proposed 154kW. For the centre, the Solar PV System will be a much-needed boost to tighten bottom lines by reducing energy costs from 30-60% for the tenancies. The tenancies are all leasing their premises so if they do move or sell the business, the panels can be removed or on sold to the next tenant. The tenants all leased their solar systems to take advantage of the tax and cashflow benefits.
