UK SMEs Missing Out On Vital Energy Savings

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) across the UK are missing out on vital energy savings according to a new ScottishPower survey which has revealed only 1 in 10 claim to have decreased their energy consumption over the past 12 months.

The survey – conducted by YouGov – also found that over 60 per cent of SME business owners don’t regard energy efficiency in the workplace as a key priority, while more than half of SME business owners don’t have any active measures in place to try to be energy smarter.

Mark Bowen, Marketing Director from ScottishPower, said: “Adopting simple energy efficient measures as a SME business owner may sound easy enough, but as the survey findings highlight the reality is very different.

“Many businesses we talk to admit they could be doing more, but are put off because they believe that steps to incorporate energy efficiency into their business will be time consuming and difficult.”

The YouGov survey of 1,000 UK SME business owners, also found that:
• Half of all SMEs do not have measures in place to encourage employees to switch off electrical equipment and lights at the end of the working day
• Two thirds of SMEs do not have a printing policy in place
• Only 1 in 10 SMEs perform an energy audit each year

According to Carbon Trust many SMEs can easily save 20 to 30 percent on their energy costs through behavioural changes such as switching off equipment and closing windows at the end of the day, at the same time as implementing cost-effective technologies with short payback periods, for example LED lighting.