10-steps to get 'Fit for Summer' in Energy and Carbon

Published: November 26, 2024.

10 ways to get fit for summer in Energy and Carbon - Northmore Gordon

This guide sets out steps with 10 key steps businesses can take to reduce energy waste and decarbonise as 2024 comes to a close, positioning them well for 2025. It explains how we can help by addressing rising energy use, critical peak demand charges, equipment overheating, and new sustainability requirements. The guidance connects summer's operational challenges with planning actions that save money, improve efficiency, and strengthen decarbonisation strategy, whether the goal is optimising operations, meeting compliance obligations, or preparing for upcoming Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards.

As 2024 comes to a close it is a great time to get your energy and carbon management in shape for summer. Here's a step-by-step guide on 10 key steps to reduce energy waste and decarbonise -and how we can help you get started.

Why Act Now?

The summer months bring unique challenges and opportunities for large energy users. Rising energy use, 'critical peak demand' charges, overheated equipment, and new sustainability requirements mean that planning can save money, improve efficiency, and position your business well in 2025. Whether you're looking to optimise operations, meet compliance obligations, or strengthen your decarbonisation strategy, it is a great time to take action.

1. Compressed Air: Don't Lose Capacity on Hot Days

Summer heat can strain compressed air systems, especially if they're leaking. Leaks not only waste energy but can also cause capacity issues during critical operational periods. Regular maintenance and proactive repairs can help improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Steps:

  • Conduct a full inspection of your compressed air system to identify leaks.
  • Use an ultrasonic leak detector or work with a technician to pinpoint problem areas.
  • Repair leaks promptly and consider adding pressure monitors to detect future issues.
  • Review maintenance schedules to ensure systems are cleaned and serviced before summer.


Unsure how to do this or want to get this done quickly? Get in touch or check out our compressed air guide.

2. Refrigeration: Close the Gaps

Refrigeration systems are essential for many industrial operations, and small inefficiencies can lead to big losses. Poorly sealed doors, refrigerant leaks, vibration, failing compressors, unmaintained cooling towers, or inappropriate cooling use can result in unnecessary energy consumption and higher costs.

Steps:

  • Inspect door seals for wear and tear. Replace damaged seals to prevent cold air from escaping.
  • Test automatic door closers and recalibrate or replace malfunctioning units.
  • Service compressor systems and cooling towers
  • Provide a refresher training session for staff on proper refrigeration management.
  • Review refrigeration system efficiency settings and adjust for optimal performance.


Need assistance? Contact us for a tailored review of your refrigeration systems.

3. Energy Contracting: Secure the Best Deal for 2025

Energy prices and contracts can shift significantly, especially in a volatile market. If you're locked into outdated terms, you could be overpaying. Reviewing and renegotiating your energy contract ensures you're getting the best deal possible.

Steps:

  • Gather your current energy bills and contracts for review.
  • Look for 'critical peak demand' tariffs or extra summer charges, and understand what they mean
  • Analyse peak usage patterns and ensure your contract aligns with your energy needs.
  • Research market rates or consult with Northmore Gordon to negotiate better terms.
  • Set up alerts to renegotiate contracts before they automatically renew.


Not sure if you're getting the best deal? Let us help you find out.

4. Load Shifting and Demand Flexibility

Energy prices and grid dynamics are changing rapidly, creating opportunities to reduce costs by shifting demand. Reshaping your energy load profile can help you secure better tariffs, avoid peak pricing, and improve efficiency.

Steps:

  • Analyse your site's energy usage profile to identify peak demand periods.
  • Explore which processes can be shifted to off-peak times without disrupting operations.
  • Review tariffs and incentive programs that reward demand flexibility.
  • Consider installing automation tools or software to optimise load shifting.


Curious about the possibilities? We can guide you through the options.

5. NGERs: Learn from This Year's Reporting Season

The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) season is an opportunity to reflect on what worked well and what didn't. Identifying gaps and inefficiencies will save you headaches in the next reporting cycle.

Steps:

  • Review your 2024 NGER submission to identify data gaps or reporting inefficiencies.
  • Cross-check reported data with operational records to ensure accuracy.
  • Update internal processes or tools for collecting and managing energy data.
  • Train your team on best practices to streamline reporting next year.


Need expert advice? We're here to help simplify your NGERs process.

6. Carbon Health Check: Plan Your Decarbonisation for 2025

Where is your business on its decarbonisation journey? A carbon health check can help you evaluate progress, identify gaps, and set clear priorities for the year ahead. This ensures your roadmap stays aligned with regulatory and sustainability goals.

Steps:

  • Benchmark your carbon performance against your 2024 goals.
  • Prioritise projects that deliver the greatest impact on your decarbonisation roadmap.
  • Review upcoming regulatory requirements and align your plans.
  • Set a clear action plan with milestones for 2025.


Want a professional assessment? Take our Carbon Health Check or get in touch.

7. Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards: Get Ahead for 2026

New Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards are approaching, and businesses must prepare. Setting up systems now to capture Scope 3 emissions data will put you ahead of the curve and reduce last-minute pressure.

Steps:

  • Identify your Scope 3 emission sources and prioritise the largest contributors.
  • Start gathering data from your supply chain and engage vendors on sustainability metrics.
  • Develop procedures for ongoing data collection and reporting.
  • Review your readiness against the upcoming standards to identify gaps.


Feeling overwhelmed? We can help you get prepared.

8. Rooftop Solar PV: Maximise Your System's Efficiency

Your solar system should be working at peak performance, but inefficiencies can creep in over time. Dirty panels, inverter issues, or underperforming components can all reduce your energy generation.

Steps:

  • Schedule a performance check for your solar PV system with your installer.
  • Clean panels and ensure they're free of dirt and debris.
  • Check inverter performance and ensure all components are functioning optimally.
  • Monitor energy generation data for unusual drops in performance.


Reach out to your solar installer to schedule a system performance review.

9. Government Grants: Refresh Your Funding Knowledge and Unlock Opportunities

Government grants can provide significant funding for energy upgrades and efficiency projects. Aligning your energy strategy with upcoming grant opportunities can unlock funding to help you achieve your sustainability goals.

Steps:

  • Review eligibility criteria to see which grants align with your energy strategy.
  • Work with experts (like us) to ensure your projects meet the necessary requirements.
  • Let us handle the application process, from start to finish, to maximise your chance of success.


Want to unlock funding for your projects? Let us manage your grant applications and align your strategy to secure the support you need - Check out the latest grants or contact us today.

10. Renewable Energy Purchasing: Plan for 2025

How are you optimising your purchase of renewable energy and meeting your sustainability goals? Are you doing that at least cost and balancing power purchase agreements with unbundled Renewable Energy Certificates?

Steps:

  • Assess future needs and opportunities to increase renewable energy uptake.
  • Compare different suppliers and contract options for 2025.
  • Optimise your purchasing to align with sustainability goals and budgets.


Want tailored advice? We can help you optimise your renewable energy strategy.

Let's Make 2025 Your Most Efficient Year and Do More With Less

Preparing for summer and the year ahead can seem overwhelming, but you don't have to do it alone. Whether it's improving efficiency, managing energy contracts, or planning for sustainability, Northmore Gordon is here to help. Unsure how to tackle these steps or want to get them done quickly? Contact us to find out how we can support your business.

Reporting and compliance context

Confirm the reporting entity and period, current thresholds, regulator guidance, evidence boundary and assurance obligations before applying the dated discussion to a live report.

What is the main purpose of Northmore Gordon's article '10 Steps to Get Fit for Summer in Energy and Carbon'?

The article provides a step-by-step guide with 10 key steps businesses can take to reduce energy waste and decarbonise as 2024 comes to a close, positioning them well for 2025. It explains how we can help by addressing rising energy use, critical peak demand charges, equipment overheating, and new sustainability requirements. The guidance connects summer's operational challenges with planning actions that save money, improve efficiency, and strengthen decarbonisation strategy, whether the goal is optimising operations, meeting compliance obligations, or preparing for upcoming Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards.

Why should businesses address compressed air systems and refrigeration before summer?

Summer brings rising energy consumption and peak demand charges that can be amplified by system inefficiencies. For compressed air, leaks, idling, and poor pressure control waste energy and increase costs. The article recommends conducting full inspections using ultrasonic leak detectors, repairing leaks promptly, adding pressure monitors, and reviewing maintenance schedules. For refrigeration, poorly sealed doors, refrigerant leaks, failing compressors, and unmaintained cooling towers create unnecessary consumption. Addressing these issues through door-seal inspection, compressor servicing, and cooling-tower maintenance before summer prevents overheating and reduces both energy bills and peak demand charges during critical periods.

What is load shifting and how does it relate to energy cost management for summer?

Load shifting involves reshaping a business's energy consumption profile to reduce costs by moving demand away from peak periods to off-peak times when tariffs are lower. The article suggests analysing energy usage patterns to identify when peak demand occurs, reviewing tariffs for critical peak demand charges specific to summer, and determining which processes can be shifted to off-peak times without affecting operations. Businesses can explore demand-flexibility incentive programs, implement automation tools or software to optimise shifting, and consider services like our energy management capabilities to coordinate load shifting strategies with their facility's actual operating constraints and tariff structure.

What does the article recommend regarding energy contracts and tariff review for 2025?

The article suggests gathering current energy bills and contracts to identify critical peak demand tariffs or extra summer charges that may not be visible in standard reporting. Businesses should analyse their peak usage patterns to understand when and how they incur additional costs, research current market rates, and set up contract-renewal alerts before automatic renewal occurs. Consulting Northmore Gordon during this review enables businesses to compare suppliers, negotiate better terms informed by their actual usage profile, and structure contracts that reflect both summer peaks and annual patterns. This proactive approach prevents unexpected cost escalations and positions the business for more cost-effective procurement in 2025.

How does the article suggest businesses prepare for new Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards?

The article identifies that new Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards are approaching for 2026, requiring preparation starting now. Businesses should identify Scope 3 emission sources (indirect emissions from supply chains) and prioritise the largest contributors, gather emissions data from suppliers and vendors, and develop ongoing data-collection procedures. The article recommends reviewing readiness against upcoming standards to identify gaps and establishing a clear action plan. We provide ASRS-related support spanning emissions inventories, transition pathways, electrification feasibility, climate-risk analysis, and financial implications of decarbonisation, enabling businesses to close gaps systematically and prepare credible reporting evidence well ahead of the 2026 deadline.

What does the article mean by a 'Carbon Health Check' and how can it help businesses plan for 2025?

A Carbon Health Check is an assessment tool offered by Northmore Gordon to evaluate a business's progress on its decarbonisation journey, identify gaps, and set clear priorities for the year ahead. The process involves benchmarking carbon performance against prior goals, prioritising high-impact projects based on emissions reduction potential and cost-effectiveness, reviewing upcoming regulatory requirements such as NGER and ASRS obligations, and establishing a clear action plan with specific milestones for 2025. This diagnostic approach provides visibility into current strengths and weaknesses, connecting energy data and emissions reporting with practical investment decisions, and positioning the business to respond to both compliance deadlines and commercial opportunities in renewable energy and efficiency upgrades.

What NGER reporting actions does the article recommend for 2025 preparation?

The article recommends reviewing the 2024 NGER (National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting) submission to identify data gaps, reporting inefficiencies, and accuracy issues. Businesses should cross-check reported data against operational records to ensure consistency, update internal processes or tools for collecting and managing energy data, and train the team on best practices to streamline next year's submission. NGER requires facility and corporate thresholds to be assessed separately, with deadlines managed carefully. We provide NGER reporting functionality through moreData, supporting organisation structure documentation, activity data collection, frozen reporting, and evidence export. Early review and process improvement reduce submission risk and ensure the business has reliable, auditable energy data for both regulatory compliance and investment decision-making.

What solar PV maintenance and renewable energy purchasing steps does the article recommend?

For solar PV systems, the article recommends scheduling a performance check with the installer, cleaning panels to remove dirt and debris that reduces generation efficiency, checking inverter functionality to ensure components are operating optimally, and monitoring generation data for unexpected drops in output. For renewable energy purchasing, the article suggests reviewing current renewable energy and renewable energy certificate (REC) purchasing strategy, assessing future needs and sustainability goals, comparing supplier options and contract terms for 2025, and optimising purchases to align with budgets and climate objectives. Our moREnewable100 service provides multi-site renewable certificate procurement support aligned with RE100 standards, offering technology assessment and due diligence to ensure renewable electricity purchasing decisions meet both commercial and sustainability requirements.

How should businesses approach government grants and government incentive programs for energy projects in 2025?

The article recommends researching available grants for the industry and region, reviewing specific eligibility criteria, and working with experts to ensure proposed projects meet all requirements before applying. The article suggests having Northmore Gordon handle or support the application process. Government grants, environmental certificates, and financing arrangements are separate funding streams that should be assessed on their own terms. Our knowledge library covers the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme, NSW Energy Savings Scheme, and ACCU project requirements, enabling businesses to understand eligibility, timing, evidence requirements, and project conditions specific to each programme. Early engagement with a consultant prevents projects from losing funding opportunities due to late evidence collection or missing programme deadlines.

Why is summer timing critical for beginning an energy and carbon improvement programme?

Summer brings three operational and commercial pressures: rising energy consumption from cooling demands, critical peak demand charges that concentrate costs on the hottest periods, and overheating equipment that may fail or deteriorate. Planning now—before peak summer demand—allows businesses to inspect and repair systems while technicians are available, negotiate energy contracts before renewal, and commission efficiency improvements while there is installation capacity. The article positions summer assessment as preparation for 2025 compliance obligations (NGER reporting, ASRS readiness) and commercial opportunities (renewable energy purchasing, grant applications). Beginning the process now provides time to gather evidence, resolve data gaps, and implement changes systematically, rather than reacting to summer cost shocks or autumn regulatory deadlines under time pressure.

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