Businesses have been warned that they should be prepared for increasing energy costs.
With the costs of energy rising on the wholesale markets, the price for businesses will go up and utility management consultants UES have said that many Welsh firms have not planned for the changes.
Andrew Padmore, director of UES, told the Western Mail that faced with price rises, businesses would see big benefits from managing the total cost of energy.
He said: "Lower energy costs bring immediate savings to the bottom line, increasing profitability. Indeed, recent figures released by the Carbon Trust show that a 20 per cent saving in energy consumption – realistically achievable by most businesses – can have the same positive effect as a five per cent increase in sales."
As well as the rising cost of energy, businesses should take action to eliminate inefficiency and comply with emissions and efficiency regulation, added Mr Padmore.
The Carbon Trust recently doubled the size of potential loans to businesses seeking to take steps to boost their energy efficiency from £100,000 to £200,000.
