The UK lobbying organization CBI conducted a survey of 100 of its corporate members and found that businesses are confused by overlapping government policies that deter energy efficiency investments.
In its report "Shining a Light: Uncovering the business energy efficiency opportunity," the CBI finds that better energy management can cut 15 percent off a business’s energy bill, but businesses are frustrated with the tangle of overlapping policies that are bureaucratic, complex and costly.
Some firms will have to report their energy use and emissions in different ways under different schemes. Only 5 percent of the survey respondents consider the current government framework to effectively encourage energy efficiency. In addition, almost 90 percent of responses were mixed to negative when asked about how government works with business to improve energy efficiency, with many respondents indicating that energy efficiency has too often been neglected by government in favor of a focus on energy generation.
The CBI is calling on the UK government to assess all energy efficiency policies that affect business and come up with a simpler approach, where any new initiatives truly add value. In addition, the CBI wants the UK Government to:
