Unseen energy waste could cost businesses billions...

Many small businesses aren’t able to get an immediate view of the energy they’re using and what it’s costing them. Npower research also shows that many SMEs don’t have the time or the money to invest in energy efficiency actions, further adding to the problem.

To tackle the issue, npower is providing free energy monitors to small businesses signing up to its ‘e3’ package, which will give businesses a real time view of their energy use and let them see the instant effect of turning equipment on and off.

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. You can’t see your 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 you’re busy,” explained Allan Robinson, head of products for npower energy services.

“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. Businesses using the monitors say they’re surprised by what actually uses energy in the workplace and they have really changed their behaviour to become more energy efficient. The monitors are an ideal way to take control of your energy use,” Robinson adds.

Npower’s energy monitors are simple to install and show users the energy they’re using at any given time, the cost per month and a record of energy use for each working day. npower calculates businesses taking energy efficiency measures could save up to 20 percent on their bills.

Npower says the beginning of the year is the ideal time to start using the monitor so businesses can easily see the effect on a year’s energy usage. Small businesses can sign-up to ‘e3’ and receive a free monitor from Npower at www.npower.com/saveenergyin2010, which also provides advice and guidance on how to save energy at work.

Edited by Ian Armitage