Small businesses could do much more to reduce the amount of energy they use and save money in the process, according to a survey by Ipsos Mori.
The research, carried out on behalf of British Gas, suggested that poorly informed and disinterested owners and managers are wasting money by failing to take basic steps to reduce the amount of energy they use.
“We are increasingly of the view that the small business community could do so much more to help save the planet and increase their profits at the same time,” claimed Simon Stenning, head of marketing at British Gas Business.
“By adopting straightforward, low-cost and no-cost measures to reduce energy usage, small businesses could slash up to 20% from the average annual energy bill,” he added.
Almost one in five respondents said they felt there were no cost benefits to saving energy, while 71% believed they could do little to reduce the amount they use. But more than half the managers questioned admitted they were more careful about the amount of energy they used at home than they were in the workplace.
Only 18% of the 300 managers responsible for energy policy had carried out an energy audit and only 20% had looked for information on implementing energy-efficient policies.
Just over half (56%) of companies questioned admitted they had to make their business more energy-efficient but 32% said they lacked the necessary resources.
“Companies know what the issue is but too many see energy expenditure as a tax rather than something which can be controlled and reduced,” said Adrian Harvey, commercial director of British Gas Business. “If you’re an SME, you’re less likely to have resources to dedicate to energy efficiency planning.”
The government has placed energy efficiency at the top of its agenda for cutting carbon emissions as fears over the impact of global warming grow.
