Why small businesses need to address their environmental impact too

Businesses are responsible for 18% of total carbon emissions in the UK, so they’re a crucial part of the puzzle to respond to climate change. And that includes smaller businesses too.

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Climate and energy Energy efficiency

Manufacturing and engineering businesses tend to be high energy users, with annual energy bills well exceeding £10,000.

Not only does this cut into business profits, it also needlessly adds to overall carbon emissions from human activity – which, as you’ll be aware, are already dangerously high.

This means there’s huge opportunity in the manufacturing industry to cut costs and carbon emissions through making energy improvements.

So what areas can a manufacturing business can reduce energy use by making improvements to their premises?

Typically, you should be thinking about:

• Heating: does your heating system rely on fossil fuels? Is it efficient? Are you heating any spaces unnecessarily e.g. empty warehouses? Are any areas not heated sufficiently e.g. office space?]
• Lighting: do you have LED light bulbs? Are your workspaces well enough lit? Are you lighting any spaces unnecessarily? Do lights always get switched off when rooms are empty?
• Machinery: is your equipment switched off when not in use? Could your equipment be more energy efficient?
• Doors and windows: is your building losing heat through ill-fitting or single-glazed doors or windows?

Find out more about each of these factors in this short video featuring Moira Dorey, Lead Energy Assessor in our team at Energy Solutions Oxfordshire.