Why should you save energy?

Saving energy can:

• save your business money, eg reduce lighting bills
• help you offset escalating fuel costs and environmental taxation
• enhance your business’s competitive edge.

Most energy in the UK comes from non-renewable fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas. However, these resources not only cause pollution but are also running out. Burning fossil fuels contributes to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and to global climate change.

Taking steps to improve energy efficiency is not currently a legal requirement. However, the government has introduced incentives and support to encourage businesses to save energy.

The government introduced a climate change levy (CCL) to encourage businesses to become more energy efficient. Your energy bills already include the CCL. The more energy you use the higher your CCL payments will be.

Smart energy meters

The government is introducing smart electricity and gas meters to help businesses save money and reduce their carbon emissions. Smart meters will mean automatic accurate billing, and should allow you to monitor live energy consumption and prices to help you use less power at peak times when it is most expensive.

Energy suppliers will have to install advanced meters at larger business sites by April 2014.

In England, Scotland and Wales the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is planning to extend advanced and smart metering for small and medium sized businesses. Under these new plans, energy suppliers will have to install smart meters in all businesses by the end of 2020.

In Northern Ireland the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) is planning to extend smart metering to all but the smallest business users by the end of 2014.

In this guideline: