Call to cut energy consumption

Growing businesses in the engineering and manufacturing sector (EM) are not doing enough to control their consumption of energy, according to a new

. The study, released today by accountants and business advisers

, also shows EM companies are largely ignorant of incentives for becoming energy efficient.

PKF surveyed 400 growing businesses, nearly 100 of which were in the engineering and manufacturing industry, in January 2006. The aim was to find how the sector that uses around half of the UK’s business energy is coping with rising prices, the global responsibility to cut emissions, and the need to stay competitive.

While findings suggest 92 per cent of EMs have suffered rising fuel costs in the last 12 months and 58 per cent are finding it impossible to pass all the increase onto customers, nearly half (46 per cent) are not aware of the benefits available to them in becoming energy efficient and 83 per cent have not considered using alternative fuels or power as energy prices rise.