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UK firms wasting 2.5bn from energy inefficiencies

24 July 2008

UK firms are wasting £2.5 billion a year in energy bills through inefficiencies such as draughty windows or leaving lights and computers on, the Carbon Trust has said.

According to YouGov research, a third of the 857 business leaders questioned saw implementing energy wastage measures as the top priority for their firms.

A fifth said cutting CO2 emissions was a policy which had increased in importance in the last six months.

Nine per cent said it slipped down their priorities.

An estimated £7 million a day is being wasted on poor energy efficiency by UK firms, the Carbon Trust said.

The Trust said switching off computers and turning down heating could save £2.5 billion and cut 22 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in the next 12 months.

Hugh Jones, solutions director at the Trust, said: " "We're talking about money that could be saved by making quick and easy changes such as encouraging staff to turn off computers and lights, turning down the heating or maintaining equipment properly."

Neil Bentley, director of business environment at the CBI said: "We welcome these findings from the Carbon Trust, which support the CBI's conclusions that, despite a choppy economic outlook, climate change remains a priority for business."