Today at the Rugby Club, Alistair Jinks shared some of the practical steps taken that may help other sports clubs to reduce their bills. The time of his example provided was a time of exceptional costs were being incurred prior to control being re-established.The original £26k per annum utility costs were reduced to £12k per annum for the Rugby and Cricket Club!Step One - Compare standing / connection utility charges, use and cost per unit with comparator clubs organisations.Actions TakenElectricity

• Access half hour usage data on line and understand opportunities to improve control e.g. limit use during expensive winter peak periods
• Invest in LED lights prioritising heavy use areas. Pay back in replacing normal bulbs less than one year
• 12 KW solar system (when ROCs subsidy applied) installed and is comfortably out performing projected pay back of 6 years
• Fit timers to fridges in the bar
• Get a better deal on the cost per unit by switching supplier if required

Gas

• Read the meter regularly and understand use
• Place locked control boxes over publically accessible controls
• Limit time of shower and heating provision
• Get a better deal on the cost per unit by switching supplier if required

Water

• Check meter to see if there is over night use after premises are closed.
• If so identify driver.

• Urinals may be faulty. A small run of water 24 hours a day adds up to a lot of use. Call plumber to fix.
• Urinals may require tap fitted and discipline introduced to turn off supply when locking up at night, alternatively control sensors may  be installed if this can be afforded.
• A leak may exist. Call plumber to locate fix.
• External taps may be left running for long periods. Security taps can be fitted.
• Connection charge challenged and verified as incorrect

Final Step - Establish metrics to measure use and cost . Tracking use is the more important. Present in power point graphs/ slides as a summary for Exec Committee and Treasurer to verify control established.