I was so out of the loop that I couldn’t have even explained to a kid what a tesla powerwall did. Receiving the electricity bill for this seasons’ usage was a lot different from this time two years ago, after we decided to have our Melbourne fresh produce shop fitted out with solar power energy. But at the time, I didn’t realise how much that decision would improve our financial outlook.
But it’s never too late to start.
After the shock of our lives from an electricity bill that came in just after Christmas last year, we were at a loss for what to do. We knew that we couldn’t just hope to reduce bills by being more careful… this was an intrinsic ‘sink or swim’ problem. We spoke to a company that does energy monitoring in Melbourne and they assessed the shop for solar panels and led light systems. At the time, our sacrifice left quite the financial sting. But like I said, the positive effects have emerged. Although coming back from that bill after Christmas seemed like scaling the north face of the Eiger, this time, any feelings of fear and horror were replaced by a smugness about our great choice- we compared costs at an eighth of our energy consumption from this time last year.
I’d grown up on a farm where every resource is valued, and any form of energy was conserved. I kind of lost touch with just how much I’d cared about really keeping on top of consumption;I’d gotten swept away with the mundane elements of business. This sadly came at the expense of some of the skills mum had taught us about saving where we could. Looking back now, If I’d applied those skills to business from day dot, we’d have been a lot better off than we are now- having the experience makes me grateful as it allowed us to see a solution to a very real problem. A problem we’ve solved.