Companies may not be taking the issue of business energy consumption seriously, new research has indicated.
The Siemens Green League report revealed 31 per cent of employees responsible for the management of
gas and electricity in their workplace do not believe the issue is being dealt with properly.
However, there could be a mismatch between these experts and business leaders, as 83 per cent of directors claim their firm deals with sustainability effectively.
A total of 600 businesses were polled for the investigation, which also found 30 per cent of boardroom members claim the return on investment received through energy-efficiency upgrades, such as
insulation or
solar panels, is too small to encourage them to commit to these devices.
Energy doctor at the Energy Saving Trust Jessica Forster recently pointed out these upgrades can provide an element of protection from further increases in fuel prices, with many of them having particularly short payback periods.
Furthermore, nine per cent of directors polled by Siemens claimed they could not afford the initial cost of installation, while 18 per cent stated they did not know how much they are going to invest in power management during the next three years.
Over one-quarter (27 per cent) of company leaders were unaware of their typical outgoings on
electricity and gas, while 43 per cent of energy managers stated they spend less than ten per cent of their time dealing with sustainability, focusing instead on facilities or health and safety in the majority of their operations.
Siemens UK and Ireland managing director Juergen Maier said: "These results do give cause for concern."
He noted Britain has "strict legislative carbon reduction targets", adding that many enterprises also appear to be failing to recognise how sustainability can improve their "bottom line".
"It really is in the interest of all businesses to take energy management seriously and look at the potential savings that can be achieved," the expert added.
Posted by Robert Shaw
