Businesses urged to use clean energy

40% of the British public are calling for businesses to go green, according to a new study. Love Energy Savings has released a guide revealing where the biggest suppliers source their energy, as more are pushing for renewable alternatives.

With a third of Brits admitting they would even pay more for energy from renewable sources, the energy comparison site hopes to encourage more businesses to reduce their carbon footprint to save both money and the environment. Although renewable contract options are harder to secure for businesses than for homeowners, companies are going greener as the world becomes more environmentally friendly. Love Energy Savings hopes its report can be used as a wake up call for companies falling behind.

“We’ve found that businesses are increasingly aware of their carbon emissions as taxes and governmental requirements force compliance and measurement,” said Phil Foster, managing director of Love Energy Savings. “Suppliers know this too and it will be interesting to see how their fuel mixes change.”

Energy suppliers believe cost is still the key obstacle facing many companies looking to lessen their emissions. For companies like Npower, more needs to be done to encourage businesses to make the change.

“Customers are certainly more aware of green energy, but in reality we still feel that price is the number one driver for customer behaviour,” offered Guy Harwood, TPI contract manager at Npower. “If they can get a good price and green energy, customers would probably go for that, but we still aren’t in a position where a customer would prioritise a green tariff over price.”