BUSINESSLIFEOur newsletter for your business Autumn 2012

Business Technology SpecialistsWorthy winners of our sustainability competition

Australian Energy PricesWe take a look back to predict what’s up ahead

EasiPay Payment PlansYour budget’s new best friend

Business account enquiries 1300 661 544Natural gas and electricity offers 1300 730 533Origin LPG 133 LPG (133 574)originenergy.com.au/business

YOur PrivAcYWe collect your personal information and confidential information (including metering data) where it is required under applicable regulatory requirements and because without it we can’t provide you with energy and related products and services under our agreement with you. We may also collect sensitive information about you (for example, if you notify us that life support equipment is used at your Supply Address).

We may exchange your information with our related bodies corporate, agents and contractors (such as mail houses, data processing analysts and debt collection agencies) and, where relevant, your distributor and other energy retailers, where required to provide you with those products and services and also for any other purpose you have consented to or as authorised by law. We may also disclose your personal information to a credit reporting agency in certain circumstances.

If you provide us with personal information about another person (such as an additional account holder), please make sure that you tell that person about this privacy statement. To access the personal information we hold about you, call us on 13 24 61. Our privacy policy is available at originenergy.com.au

PrOducT ANd SErvicE OffErSWe are committed to providing you with a complete energy service, so we may present you with gas, electricity, green products and household or business service offers in the future (including after your energy agreement with us ends). If at any time you do not wish us to use, or enable our privacy compliant agents and contractors to use, your information for this purpose, please call 13 24 61 or write to Origin Opt Out, Reply Paid 1199, GPO Box 1199, Adelaide SA 5001. We will continue to provide you with these offers until you advise us otherwise.

A LOOK BAcK AT ENErGY PricES^Taken from ABS “Household Expenditure Survey, Australia: Summary of Results, 2009-10”, Reference #6530.0, published 6 September 2011. *Page 26, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) “Energy in Australia 2010” (2010), published April 2010, available at www.abares.gov.au.

WE’RE JUST APHONE CALL AWAY

Meet Dave Ellis. Lately, he’s been taking out awards for excellence in the Origin Business Centre, and here’s why.

What’s your secret in becoming a hit with customers in the Origin Business centre?It’s not really a secret. Customers love excellent customer service, so that’s what the consultants – including myself – in the Origin Business Centre look to provide all the time.

is energy efficiency popular with Origin customers?It’s very popular. More and more customers now call us, looking for ways to use less power and save money. We have plenty of advice to suit any small business, and the best bit is that reducing the amount of power your business uses doesn’t just help your bottom line. It can help reduce its impact on the environment, too.

What’s the best thing an Origin customer can have ready for you when they call you?That’s an easy one. An account number, definitely. This helps us find customer details in our system quickly – and that means busy small business owners can spend less time on the phone with us and more time doing what they do best.

TAkINg CARE OF BUSINESS

A LOOk BACk ATENERgY PRICES

Have an enquiry? Call the Origin Business Centre on 1300 661 544Open 8am – 6pm AEST, Monday to Friday.

Origin Energy Retail Ltd ABN 22 078 868 425 Origin Energy Electricity Ltd ABN 33 071 052 287 Origin Energy LPG Ltd ABN 77 000 508 369 Origin Energy (Vic) Pty Ltd ABN 11 086 013 283 Sun Retail Pty Ltd ABN 97 078 848 549

4781.Mar12.ALLVisit originenergy.com.au for advice that could help save your business money.

Increasing energy prices are a concern for many Australian businesses, and at Origin, we’re working hard to help our customers understand and control their usage.

Here we share some interesting facts that may help give a different perspective on the relative cost of electricity over the years and in different countries.

The truth of the matter is…

A 2010 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey^ revealed that energy prices made up roughly the same percentage of a household’s total expenditure as they have for the past 20 years.

Where energy costs have been noted as having increased over recent years, this has often been attributed to the need to upgrade the country’s aging energy infrastructure.

It’s also worth thinking about what you pay for power compared to businesses in other countries. A Federal Government report published in 2010 found Australian businesses pay less than a third of what those in Italy pay, and just half of that which is paid by Irish and British businesses*.

We’re here to keep you informed.

Through Business Life, Origin will update your business on all energy-related news, to help you make the right decisions for your energy needs.

In the meantime, take a look on our website for some practical advice that can help you reduce the electricity consumption and power bills of your business.

To find out how to cut down the energy costs of your business, visit originenergy.com.au

For a reliable LPG supply for your business, speak to Origin LPG. Call 133 LPG (133 574) or visit originlpg.com.au

We get that you have little time to waste.

That’s why Origin small business customers have been asking for something to help keep unwanted salespeople away from their door. And now we have a solution.

Take control of your front door.

With a Do Not Knock sticker from Origin, you decide whether you want your business to hear about offers unexpectedly.

Simply request a sticker at originenergy.com.au/noknock and apply it at the entrance of your workplace. After that, enjoy the extra time you’ll have for getting the job done.

And with those spare minutes, why not take a few to read this new edition of Business Life, to see how else we can help you take care of business.

Gary robottom Editor businesslife@originenergy.com.au

EasiPay takes the surprise out of your bills. call 1300 661 544 today.

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIkE YOUR BUSINESS

Last August, Origin’s energy efficiency expert, Anne Armansin audited the new office of Business Technology Specialists – our competition winner from last autumn’s Business Life.

Anne was there to find ways for them to use less energy, plus award them $5,000 to help with their sustainability journey. And she was quickly surprised to see just how much they’d already achieved, all on their own.

Sustainable from the start.

Stan and Melissa Corner opened their first store in 2005, with their six-month old daughter sleeping beneath one of only a few desks during the day.

Now, with 12 employees and a big, modern office, their plans are to grow – and no wonder, given their grasp on sustainability is as strong as their business acumen.

As they have from day one, nearly everything they sell and install – from copiers, printers and scanners, to multimedia projectors and print intelligence software – is aligned with their own green values, and designed to help clients in and around Geelong make a difference. And their new office sets the bar high for doing just that.

One recent addition having a significant impact on their power usage is their C-BUS system. A microprocessor-based control and management system, it’s been programmed to do things automatically, like turn off lights and lower blinds – minimising the amount of electricity being consumed onsite.

But their greatest environmental achievement to date has followed them to their new premises, and that’s their intricate office waste management system.

Reliant on their entire team, including their clients, this closed-loop recycling program has been a priority since their business began.

After they replace printer and toner cartridges for clients, they bring the empty ones back to their office and ensure they’re recycled or disposed of properly.

SHEDDINg LIgHT ON A WINNINg FORmULA

Paper, plastic – even polystyrene from office equipment they sell – is gathered, sorted and managed up until it’s collected. Older parts they replace are even some times refurbished and given a second lease on life.

Anne was able to ease their conscious in another way, too. She uncovered that their new espresso machine, a favourite in the office, uses very little power to produce Geelong’s best coffee. Or so says Stan, anyway.

Winnings to wash away their water wastage.

With many environmental obstacles facing their workplace having already been conquered, Stan and Melissa plan on spending their prize money on installing water-harvesting equipment to their roof, to help them avoid using mains water on things like toilets.

Congratulations Stan and Melissa Corner, and the team at Business Technology Specialists, on your win.

When it comes to energy, our business is to make the way you manage yours easier. And with our expanding range of products and services, we’re doing just that.

EasiPay takes the work out of paying bills.

An EasiPay payment plan provides peace of mind – and can help you avoid nasty surprises – by letting you smooth your business’ energy bills out over the year.

HOW DOES IT WORk?✔ Origin calculates an average payment amount based on

energy use

✔ You choose a weekly, fortnightly or monthly payment plan

✔ Choose your own start date, for a time you’ll know there’ll be finances free

✔ Apply EasiPay to your electricity or natural gas accounts, or both.

An EasiPay payment plan covers any outstanding charges and your expected usage charges for the next billing period. This is based on the amount of energy used over the previous year.

To ensure you’re not paying too much or too little, we regularly check your payments and adjust them accordingly. And, thanks to Direct Debit, paying your bills is easier than ever.

A great way to budget, EasiPay makes managing your energy bills simple.

kNOCk INTERRUPTIONS ON THE HEAD

No matter what your business, Origin has your LPG needs covered.

As a leading supplier of LPG across Australia, we have business customers in a number of markets, with distribution networks in every state and territory.

And with tailored solutions, experienced local service and excellence in delivery and safety, we’re the experts for your LPG needs.

LOOk NO FURTHER FOR LPg ExPERTS