As electricity and gas prices skyrocket in Australia, many businesses may be unaware of the energy bill shock that’s in store for them. Here, we recommend a proactive approach to dealing with the financial angst to come.
Proactive versus Reactive Problem-solving
Most people are good at dealing with problems reactively and bad at dealing with problems proactively. To understand what we mean by this, consider the analogy of someone who suffers sporadically from back pain.
When the person’s back becomes inflamed and sore, he is willing to do anything to fix the problem. He will pay to see a physio, diligently stretch and perform core exercises, and avoid sitting in a slouched position for long periods.
Yet as soon as the obvious pain subsides, the back pain sufferer stops doing the things that are necessary to avoid another bout of suffering. He skips his physio appointments, stops stretching and exercising, and goes back to slouching at his desk for hours on end.
Why?
Why Are People so Bad at Dealing with Problems Proactively?
People’s innate tendency to deal with problems reactively rather than proactively is ostensibly an energy-saving measure. It takes time and effort to deal with latent problems before they manifest as actual problems, so it’s easiest (or so it would seem) to ignore them. Most people already have plenty of actual problems on their plate, so why would they waste energy thinking or even doing something about potential problems?
Unfortunately, our tendency to ignore problems until they are staring us in the face often backfires. The reality is that we can generally address problems at a much smaller cost if we take a proactive rather than reactive approach. Just think of someone who never has to pay for expensive surgery because she proactively stretches and exercises to avoid her back pain becoming unmanageable.
Addressing your business’ rising energy costs before you get the shock of a massive quarterly bill is another prime example of how being proactive actually saves you time, effort, and money in the long run.
How to Deal with Rising Energy Costs Proactively
Energy costs are rising dramatically in Australia. With regulators recently approving price increases across the country, nearly all businesses are going to pay more for gas and electricity in coming months, with rates increasing by anywhere between 5% and 100%.
And yet, many businesses may still be unaware of the financial pain that’s in store for them, for the simple reason that companies typically pay their energy bills quarterly. As it stands, these businesses are like the back pain sufferer who is blissfully unaware that his lifestyle choices are about to cause him a bout of agonising suffering.
The good news is that addressing the problem of rising energy costs proactively is straightforward. We recommend a simple three-step approach:
- Find out how much you are paying through your current energy plan
- Compare this plan to other plans on the market
- If you can save money by switching to another plan, do so
One of the reasons business owners may not get around to following this simple, three-step process is that they already have too many other problems to deal with - problems that are already staring them in the face. If that sounds like you, you may want to consider outsourcing your rising energy cost problems to Zembl. We will deal with your energy woes proactively, saving you the pain of a nasty bill shock at the end of next quarter.
At Zembl, we regularly review the energy market and work with businesses to help them take control of their energy bills and achieve potential savings. Contact us for an obligation-free review today.
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