SEI: Irish businesses could save €300m in energy costs

Ireland’s small businesses could save €300m a year through simple actions to reduce energy costs, according Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).

The SEI have completed 1,500 small business energy assessments over the past two years.

Businesses participating in SEI’s SME programme have reduced their energy costs by an average of 10-20% by taking simple steps to tackle energy waste such as introducing more efficient lighting or changing temperature controls.

SEI estimates that if all of Ireland’s 200,000 small businesses took similar steps, the resulting savings would be in the region of €300m.

“Every business is crying out for cost reductions and the good news is that they are there for the taking. Most businesses that come to SEI save at least 10% of their energy costs almost immediately,” Brian Motherway, Head of Strategy in SEI said.

“This isn’t pie in the sky stuff, we are talking about simple steps that will cut energy bills, save money and protect jobs. Many businesses are already acting and a lot of money has already been saved.”

From the 1,500 energy assessments carried out by SEI, lighting emerged as the most significant energy cost for many businesses, representing up to half the total bill for offices and shops.

In restaurants and pubs, the assessments revealed that refrigeration can often be the biggest cost.

Heating and air conditioning are also common costs across sectors.