Britain’s small businesses could be wasting as much as £30.8m a day, simply by leaving their computers on standby at night.
That is according to new research from energy company E.ON., which interviewed nearly 1000 UK firms about their energy efficiency.
The survey revealed that more than a third of small businesses don’t turn off their computers at the end of the working day, with 10% falsely believing that standby uses the same amount of energy as shutting down.
Furthermore, one in five small business owners admitted to only switching off their computers properly at the weekend.
However, the results showed significant variation according to geography and sector. For example, firms in the north recorded the lowest level of energy awareness, with 23% of Yorkshire businesses believing standby mode used the same amount of energy as shut downOnly 4% of small firms in the south east held the same belief.
According to the study the least energy-efficient sector was retail, with two-thirds of respondents admitting to leaving their computers on overnight and 59% only switching off completely before the weekend. Agriculture recorded the most exemplary results, with 69% of businesses shutting down properly every night.
Iain Walker, head of business sales at E.ON, said: "Ten per cent of small business owners wrongly assume that leaving computers on standby at night uses the same amount of energy as shutting them down completely.”
He added: “Introducing small changes into the culture of your business, like turning equipment off fully at night, can have a significant financial impact on your energy bills.”