Nearly £6.5bn could be saved by businesses every year through energy efficiency, the government has said.
According to a new Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) campaign, simple measures such as such as turning off equipment when it’s not being used, can make significant savings to companies’ bottom line.
These measures could contribute up to 10% to the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2020, environment secretary Hilary Benn said.
“Businesses are facing challenging times, today more so than ever, so finding ways to save money makes a lot of sense,” he added.
“There are opportunities here in the UK too in the low carbon and environmental goods and services, where we currently have just over three percent of the global market. This will grow as consumers become increasingly environmentally aware and companies realise that waste is just a resource in another form.”
Benn said sustainability was not only the key to saving the environment, but also to business success.
Channel 4’s ‘Dumped’ guru and eco-design expert Rob Holdway is supporting Defra’s ‘Saving money – it’s your business’ campaign. He said:
“Whether it’s turning off lights, turning down thermostats, cutting down on rubbish, or addressing dripping taps – businesses are ‘leaking’ money through bad use of their energy, water supplies or waste products.
“Simple steps such as turning off office equipment when it’s not in use, can help businesses become financial fit and environmentally friendly. This also has a positive knock-on effect on corporate reputation among consumers. Resource efficiency really isn’t rocket science.”
[Vangelis Solutions can help businesses achieve energy efficiency from technical standpoint. See also our articles in the Virtualisation category and in particular on the savings possible.]
Source: November 2009
