The Energy Advice Line has welcomed calls by business leaders for small firms to be offered more help by energy companies to keep their gas and electricity prices down.
Julian Morgan, managing director of the price comparison, switching and advice service, agreed with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) that energy companies could reap rewards by offering more tailored support to SMEs.
“Energy costs now represent a significant proportion of a small firm’s overheads but many owners are so busy with the day-to-day running of their organisation they don’t get around to developing an energy strategy,” Mr Morgan said.
“Reducing energy consumption can result in very significant savings for SMEs but many owners don’t know where to start and desperately need more information and advice.
“We agree with the FSB that energy suppliers would do well to engage with small and medium-sized firms to help them reduce their underlying energy costs.”
The FSB has called for more specially targeted help for SMEs amid fears that underlying costs are unnecessarily high because of the lack of information.
John Allan, FSB national chairman, has claimed that energy companies could reap rewards if they offered SMEs more advice as research has found that many firms would sign up to longer contracts for gas and electricity if the suppliers were more helpful.
FSB research found that nine out of ten firms broadly supported signing longer energy contracts in exchange for improved advice and support from suppliers.
A similar number said they would like to be more energy efficient and that money was not the only motivator. Many said they wanted to be more environmentally responsible while others saw energy efficiency as a way of marketing themselves.
Businesses also wanted more tax incentives, according to the FSB, like the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme, which allows them to benefit from tax breaks when investing in certain energy-saving equipment.
Mr Morgan said that along with switching suppliers, making a business more energy efficient was the most effective way to cut energy bills.
“The FSB research proves the business community really is interested in keeping their energy usage – and therefore their costs – down,” Mr Morgan said.
“But all businesses are different and face diverse challenges to doing this – and they need more help.
“If energy companies are genuinely interested in restoring good faith and confidence with business energy users, this would be an effective way to do it.”
The Energy Advice Line is a consumer champion and an independent price comparison and switching service for householders and small and medium-sized businesses. The service enables consumers to quickly and simply compare electricity and gas prices, and to switch to the best available deal on the market.
The service also offers free advice and a contract management service, including alerts to remind business consumers users when their fixed-term energy contracts are about to end.
For further information, visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk