Businesses are spending up to £1 in
every £2 of their electricity bills on
powering their business when staff
have left for the day, according to the
latest figures from British Gas. Data
from over 6000 smart meter readings
show that 46% of business electricity
use happens outside the traditional
business hours of 8am-6pm.

Common examples of unnecessary
electricity use include: lighting car
parks at the weekend when no one is
at work; retail units in shopping
centres keeping display lights on when
the centre is closed; and vending
machines left switched on in offices
overnight and at weekends.

The first step for businesses to cut
their energy use is to understand
when and why they use electricity.

British Gas has launched Business
Energy Insight to show businesses
how, when and where they are using
electricity and help them to save
money through energy efficiency
measures. By signing up to Business
Energy Insight, businesses will have a
smart meter installed, 24h access to an
online dashboard showing hourly,
daily, weekly and monthly electricity
use that can be used to identify up to
10% savings through behavioural
changes. With simple efficiency
measures, such as investing in timers,
the savings will be more. There will be
support from 100+ specifically trained
account executives.