News

January 08, 2010

Inefficient small firms risk wasting £3 billion in energy in 2010

Inefficient equipment and energy waste could cost UK small businesses £3 billion this year, research from the Carbon Trust has found.

The Carbon Trust also found that 30 per cent of the energy consumed in the UK is wasted. In addition, the research highlighted that 20 per cent of the total energy bill in UK offices is accounted for by office equipment and this figure is expected to rise to 30 per cent by 2020.

According to energy supplier Npower, small firms would find it easier to reduce their energy use if they had access to "real-time energy monitors". "These would enable them to accurately measure how much energy they are using at any one time and what it is costing them," said an Npower spokesman.

Npower head of products, Allan Robinson, said: "For many small enterprises the priority has to be running the business, particularly during these tough economic times, meaning there is little time to dedicate to saving energy.

"Even though small measures like switching off equipment can make a big difference to energy costs, there's no obvious impact of flicking a light switch," he added. "Businesses can't see their energy use drop instantly and bills won't always register a change immediately so there's often little incentive to keep on saving energy, particularly when they are busy.

"Just seeing your miles per gallon can make you drive more economically, so actually seeing the energy you're using can encourage people to stop wasting energy," said Robinson.

According to the Carbon Trust, there are no plans to introduce real-time monitors across the board but the Government has set a target to have advanced meters in all homes by 2020, which will also lead to an increased take up in business.

"Real-time monitors connect to an existing gas or electricity analogue meter so you can see exactly what you're using and when," he said. "They comprise of a transmitting device which connects to the meter and a digital handheld device.

"However, advanced meters [also known as smart meters] will replace analogue meters completely," he added. "They give more information on consumption than analogue meters, helping to reduce energy waste, and also allow the energy company to know how much you're using, ending the need for estimated billing."

Advanced meters have a visual display allowing customers to see exactly how much electricity and gas they are using and relay the data to energy firms automatically. The Government announced at the end of last year that energy suppliers will be responsible for installing advanced meters in all households in the UK by 2020.

Npower offer small businesses a number of tips to improve their energy efficiency, including:

• Switch off computer monitors during lunch breaks and activate stand-by options to reduce your monitor's energy consumption by 90 per cent a year
• Consider switching to laptops. Laptops only use about 10 per cent of the energy of a standard PC
• Consider energy saving light bulbs. They use 75 per cent less electricity than standard light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer

• For more information about improving energy efficiency, visit the Carbon Trust website