Britain’s businesses are failing to give their employees the information they need to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions in the workplace, according to a new survey from npower business. The survey revealed that 75% of UK workers are concerned about climate change, but that only 33% are given information by their employers about how to save energy at work.
The results are given further significance when viewed against calculations from the Carbon Trust which show that UK businesses are wasting £1.1 billion of energy each year. That’s equivalent to approximately 40,000 tonnes of CO2 needlessly pumped into the atmosphere every day.
“Energy efficiency remains the best method for reducing CO2 emissions in the workplace and businesses must encourage their employees to think about and use energy more responsibly. This can be done through some simple measures such as switching off unused equipment and making sure PCs and lights are switched off every night. It sounds obvious, but every day across the UK thousands of computers are left on when they’re not being used,” explains Nigel Alcock, Head of Sales at npower business.
To demonstrate how simple saving energy can be, npower is appealing to businesses to join the ‘Big Switch Off’ campaign and pledge to switch off equipment and lighting before leaving work for the August bank holiday weekend, Saturday 25 to Monday 27 August.
Alcock continues: “With The Big Switch Off we want to show that everyone has a responsibility to save energy and, when multiplied across businesses throughout the UK, even small actions can make a big impact. The benefit for business comes in both cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions. Every £75 of energy saved is equal to one tonne of CO2. The Big Switch Off gives businesses a definite date to start improving energy efficiency; we hope it can become a catalyst for on-going energy savings.”
In the lead up to the Big Switch Off, npower business is embarking on a carbon cube tour of the UK to build awareness of energy saving and encourage businesses to pledge their intention to switch off. npower business will position a giant cube, representing one tonne of CO2, at business districts in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, calling on companies to come and sign the cube to demonstrate their commitment to saving energy.
“Every signature we collect represents less CO2 emitted by UK businesses. We hope the cube will be covered in names!” adds Alcock.