www. e l e c t r i c a l c o n n e c t i o n . c om . a u
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providers offer this in all States.
To recent members of our fraternity:
when the Federal Government
deregulated the communications
industry, suddenly a lot of work that
had to be done by Telecom (which
became Telstra) could be done by
‘trained’ cablers and installers.
At Telecom there was a rush for the
door, and huge redundancies. However,
the then Electrical Contractors
Federation (now NECA) advocated that
our industry had a natural presence in
this space.
NECA management at the time
(particularly chief executive Peter
Glynn) fought a long and hard battle to
ensure our industry had a place at the
table. The fact that new entrants now
finish their apprenticeship with
a Certificate III in Communications is a
direct result.
It is crucial that we learn from this
example and follow suit.
This industry should be proud of
how we have maintained the safest
electrical system in the world. Let’s
not allow clients to be inveigled into
inappropriate retail plans that
benefit only the energy retailers. Our
role is clear – reduce energy costs for
our clients.
We should be working smarter,
enlarging our role with clients. We
should be stepping into areas in
which clients have not thought about
using us.
A well-designed system calculated
to meet the client’s requirements
will save substantial amounts of
money. The right combination of solar,
batteries and appropriate tariff will
be a huge compliment to you and
your business. Add it to your website
and your marketing, and talk about it
at barbecues.
Don’t let friends, family and clients
sign up to inappropriate deals – get
involved and protect them. Don’t be
afraid of ‘time of use’ tariffs. Not all
clients will benefit, but those who
install the correct battery system in
conjunction with a correctly sized
solar generation system will.
Time of use tariffs are coming and
we need to engage with clients to
explain how they can benefit.
BY
WES
MCKNIGHT
◾ Industrial Enclosures & IT Racks
◾ Power Distribution
◾ Climate Control
◾ IT Infrastructure
◾ Software & Services
◾ Automation Systems
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