Running a successful bar is no easy feat. From keeping customers happy to managing costs, bar owners and managers have their hands full. One major expense that often flies under the radar is energy bills.
Enter Luke Symons, the owner of three vibrant Wollongong bars - The Howlin Wolf, Dagwood, and The Prince - who managed to save a whopping $16,000 a year on energy costs with the help of Zembl.
We sat down with Luke to ask him a couple of questions about his story and what he thought of the Zembl service.
Q1: Can you tell us about your business: when it was started, what services do you offer, where you are located?
We currently own 3 venues and about to open a 4th venue, 3 bars and a burger joint coming along nicely. Myself and my two other business partners took over The Howlin Wolf in 2017. We then acquired Dagwood in 2018 and The Prince in 2020.
We are located in the Wollongong CBD, with all 3 bars within a block of each other.
Q2: How has your business been affected by energy price increases over the last few years?
It's something that snuck up on us. Electricity has risen so much without us checking. With how busy you can get, the small increments from 7 years ago really stacked up.
Q3: What do you use most of your energy for in your business?
The main use of power in all our bars are refrigeration and heating. The two horsemen of the electricity bill apocalypse. Each bar has half a dozen fridges and then you have the AC running at all times to heat and cool. Patron comfort is key and that is a cost we cannot go without.
Q4: How did you hear about our service?
I researched you guys thoroughly by being the first non sponsored google search result I saw haha. I thought to myself I was going to just test the process and see how much effort the comparison would be, and it was easy!
Q5: In general, what were your thoughts about our service, from start to finish?
I was taken aback when I was met with such a nice pleasant person on the phone who wasn’t pushy. Felt like more of a discussion and there wasn't the sales pitch I was expecting.
From there I was transferred through to Jordan who after a friendly chat, switched over to email for me which meant I could go at my own pace to get this sorted. All I did was send an old bill and he did the rest. Once the options were laid out in front of me on paper, it was a simple phone call and changed over and that was it. Not even having to set up an account with the new supplier, they did it all. All that changed for me was the email address the bill was coming from.
Jordan has also put in his calendar to call me down the track to check the bills against new suppliers out there, so I don’t even have to worry about forgetting to do it again soon.
Q6: How much did you save on your energy bill through Zembl?
Zembl saved us about $5,500 in the Howlin Wolf, $3,750 in The Prince, and $7,000 in Dagwood, so across all 3 venues with gas and electricity it was a saving of around $16,000. All from a 10 minute initial phone call and some back and forth emailing at my own leisure.
Q7: What will you be putting the money you saved towards instead?
It has helped us store the money and will be contributed to future business expansion. Just stoked the money is now back in our pocket.
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Q8: Did you encounter any challenges or concerns while using our service? How were they addressed?
I missed a few calls to finalise the transfer, but you guys were patient with me which was amazing.
Q9: What would you say to other businesses who are looking to find a more competitive energy deal?
Pick up the phone or reach out to me and I’ll send you the contact details for these legends. Start saving now I say!
Q10: Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experience using our service?
They not only helped me with commercial but saved me $600 a year on my personal electricity. I have also shared the email address I have with mates and family and they are saving too!
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