smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

British industry, particularly in the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) sector, doesn’t know how to reduce energy consumption, according to new research from British Gas Business. As a result British Gas has called on UK small businesses to take carbon emissions reduction seriously in order to reduce energy expenditure and boost profitability.

Although almost four out of five (79 per cent) small businesses agree that being energy efficient will save the business money, nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) believe there is little they can do to save energy. This is in spite of the fact that energy accounts for nearly ten per cent of the average SME’s annual overheads.

Over half (59 per cent) of managers responsible for buying energy for their businesses confess they are more energy conscious at home than at work, according to the survey.

Adrian Harvey, commercial director of British Gas Business, says: ‘Just over half recognised they needed help to make their business more energy efficient but a third admitted that they lacked the relevant information. Companies know what the issue is but too many see energy expenditure as a tax rather than something that can be controlled and reduced.’

British Gas Business has compiled a comprehensive energy efficiency booklet, which is available free by clicking here .

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