Carbon Trust launches online energy efficiency toolkit for SMEs

'Cut Carbon, Cut Costs' is an online video tutorial in which Carbon Trust experts offer users advice on six energy efficiency topics – energy management, heating, lighting, office and IT equipment, compressed air, and out-of-hours energy usage.

The tutorial is aimed at SMEs that spend less than £50,000 a year on energy and the Carbon Trust believes the advice it is offering could help help them cut energy bills by up to 20 per cent.

A survey to be published next week by the Carbon Trust will show that UK businesses put energy price rises as one of their top concerns for the year, while Ofgem predicts energy prices may rise by as much as 60 per cent over the next seven years.

Hugh Jones, director of Solutions at the Carbon Trust, said: “Many firms tried to cut costs to the bone at the end of last year. But many could save further, significant amounts of cash, without affecting their service or production levels, by tackling energy efficiency. We’ve provided a flexible tool to help time-poor businesses understand what they can gain by improving energy efficiency to help them survive and thrive in the downturn.”

The 'Cut Carbon, Cut Costs' tutorial is part of a range of free advisory services available from the Carbon Trust for businesses, including a customer helpline and free Carbon Surveys.

The Carbon Surveys are available to all businesses with annual energy bills over £50,000, and entail a consultant visiting businesses’ premises to assess where energy is being wasted, and advising on how to tackle it.

Next week, the Carbon Trust will launch the Best Advice campaign, urging all eligible businesses to take advantage of a free Carbon Survey and drive out unnecessary cost from the bottom line.