The cost of energy is one of the most concerning issues that a lot of businesses face, with the body repair industry being no different.
The Energy Bill Relief Schemes ends 31st March and will be replaced by the Energy Bills Discount Scheme. Unfortunately, this scheme will provide your business with far less financial support.
Government funding for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme was around £18.5 billion lasting 6 months, whereas the new Energy Bills Discount Scheme will have a largely reduced amount of funding of £5 billion over a longer period of 12 months.
With an average spray booth accounting for over 45% of the use of energy in a body repair business, many companies are looking for optimal energy saving opportunities wherever they can find them.
This is where AGM Services can help you. Our spray booth control systems are proven to save up to 70% on the cost of your energy. Even booths purchased in the last five years can make significant upgrades, as energy was not as high on the Spray Booth design agenda as it is now.
The cost of energy
In an industry with already razor-thin margins such as body repair, where the main productive tool is the spray booth, it’s not like being at home where you can turn your heating off or reduce the temperature. Energy prices have tripled since 2019, leaving companies scrambling for ways to make savings.
Support from the government that body repair businesses could benefit from has all but gone. The main support available is the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which everyone on a non-domestic energy contract is allowed to use if they are on a range of contract types.
Currently, electricity bills are capped at £211 per megawatt hour, with gas bills capped at £75 per megawatt hour.
Support ends on 31st March with new support reduced by up to 85%.
With this support being withdrawn, body shops need to act now.
Energy surcharge payments from insurers and work providers are very helpful, but there’s no guarantee how long they will be around. Savings that can be made on spray booth running costs will drop on a body shop’s bottom line.
Fixed rate chaos?
There are relatively few accurate statistics showing the number of companies on fixed-rate deals, but thus far these companies haven’t felt the impact of the increase. By failing to prepare for this huge change in spending, companies risk going bankrupt, since they don’t have the necessary protections against their potential rises. If this is you and your business, start to take steps to tackle increasingly challenging costs before they start to bite.
Chaos in the body repair and other industries is likely if companies don’t prepare.
For those not on fixed rates, or coming out of fixed rates in the next 2 months, it’s crucial to make changes now before next winter.
The cost of spray booths
Automated technology is one of the most useful tools available for the cost-management of spray booths, both for working to a higher standard and working more efficiently, using less power and fewer resources.
For companies looking to save themselves money over an extended period of time, the technology in your spray booth control system could be the answer. Operating a booth takes a lot of time and energy. For example, spray booths heat up air from outside the booth to reach the necessary conditions inside, and some companies use Variable Speed Drives to reduce the amount of airflow in the booth. Other technology that makes and impact includes; LED lighting and fuel saving re-cure modes
These upgrades you can implement in your existing spray booth to get the best possible performance without spiralling costs without the disruption of having to buy new equipment.
Spray booth control systems
When you’re looking to improve the way that your organisation spends its money or increase efficiency, our spray booth control system should be considered, especially as we offer a free survey and quote.
There are plenty of benefits of using our spray booth control system in your organisation, including:
Cutting down on resource costs
By effectively managing the resources needed in your spray booth you can cut the costs, significantly. For example, when not in use the booth should be run at a low level, rather than keeping it running at full speed.
The aim gf the AGM optimal energy package is to use the optimal amount of energy – not a minute longer and not degree higher.
Limit production time
Maximising production time is a fundamental part of saving on your spray booth costs. After all, the less time your equipment is running per repair, the less energy it uses. The efficiency that a good control system offers saves you time and a lot of money. You use less energy on each job and faster turnaround times also mean that you can get more jobs done to generate greater revenue.
Try AGM Services
An effective spray booth control system could save your body repair shop up to 70% in terms of energy, and with energy becoming one of the biggest expenditures companies have to deal with, this could be essential to a body shop.
If you’re interested in a free no obligation survey and a quote, get in touch with the AGM Services team today to find out more and cut down on the amount of money your organisation spends on energy in these increasingly difficult times.