Campaign launched to help businesses drive down energy bills

The government has launched a new campaign to encourage businesses, charities and public sector organisations to improve energy efficiency and reduce their bills.

The campaign is being targets at SMEs, highlighting simple low- and no-cost changes that can offer significant savings to energy usage, as well as cutting CO2 emissions. Tips featuring in the campaign include installing light and heating timers, to turning down boiler flow temperature and changing light bulbs.

A new website will help organisations access simple, low-to-no cost advice, outlining a range of possible actions, from having better sight of current energy use to upgrading and modifying equipment.

To make sure as many businesses as possible know about the campaign, it will be promoted through partnerships with the British Chambers of Commerce and Federation of Small Business and paid advertorial across TV, radio, social media and more. The campaign follows the launch of the government’s £18 million ‘It All Adds Up’ campaign last year for households.

Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, Lord Callanan said:

“Falling wholesale energy prices are welcome news, but this in no way changes our firm, long-term commitments to vastly boost UK energy efficiency across industry and households.

“From today businesses, charities and public sector bodies can access helpful and practical advice on simple actions they can take to substantially reduce their energy use – and potentially increase profits.

“Not only will this help lower operational costs by up to hundreds of thousands of pounds, but smarter energy use will help us deliver on our critical pledges to cut demand by 15% and reach net zero by 2050.”

The new site also offers guidance on taking full advantage of the government’s range of energy support schemes available, such as the new Energy Bills Discount Scheme, which offers a unit discount on bills, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers grants to help make installing heat pumps and biomass boilers as cheap as a gas boiler.