Practice Manager and owner Kate Simpson signed up Sugarloaf Animal Hospital to Energy Hunter in 2013, with a view to:

• Gain a better understanding of energy consumption patterns to identify energy saving opportunities and reduce power usage.

• Determine the merits of various energy efficiency programmes and incorporate the best ideas.

• Working with the Energy Hunter team, Kate succeeded in reducing energy consumption through educating her team to create beneficial behavioural change.  Simple things like placing a sign next to the light switch that asks: “Do you need me on?” Ensuring high-energy equipment is turned off when not in use.

Since joining the program and working with the Energy Hunter team, the main way that Kate was able to reduce their energy consumption was through behaviour change with her team.

This included placing signs next to all the light switches saying ‘Do you need me on?’ and turning off high energy-using equipment (such as x-ray machines), as well as lights and office equipment when not in use.

In just six months the hospital saw a considerable reduction in their energy usage and managed to reduce their electricity bill by 25%.  This meant that the practice was saving on average $2,000 per annum in energy costs.

Kate’s latest project is to convert Sugarloaf Animal Hospital to a paper-free workplace.