One way businesses can cut costs in troubled economic ties is by looking at their energy efficiency.
Although many may be tempted to make large redundancies, significant money can be saved through making a business more environmentally friendly.
Fiona Harvey, an environment writer for the Financial Times has noted that cutting energy levels is easy and less painful than losing staff.
Hugh Jones, director of solutions at the Carbon Trust, told Ms Harvey: "A lot of these things are very simple, like turning off lights in rooms where people aren't working."
Research by E.ON has found that many people are worried about being ridiculed by other staff members for being energy efficient, and half were afraid to ask for permission.
The study also found that on average an office wastes £6,000 a year due to failure to apply basic energy efficiency policies.
Making sure computers are turned off in the evening, and using bottles to store water from drinks machines are just two ways that office workers can reduce their company's, and their own, carbon emissions.
