Workers signal support for energy saving efforts

Employees want to save energy in the workplace, but many are unclear about how they should go about the task, according to research.

A major YouGov survey of over 4,300 UK adults found that contrary to popular belief, the vast majority were willing to help their employer save money by reducing energy use.

The survey, which was commissioned by the Carbon Trust as part of its campaign to help save UK businesses £1m a day, found that 78 per cent of employees want to help their firm become more energy efficient, while almost half said they were more likely to help their company reduce costs due to the recession.

Hugh Jones, solutions director at the Carbon Trust, said that the survey confirmed that not only are staff willing to "do their bit" to cut costs they are also "increasingly seeing saving money around the workplace as part of their responsibility".

He added that businesses could save up to 20 per cent on their energy bills by harnessing their workforce's willingness to ensure PCs and lights are turned off and put up with slightly lowered office temperatures.

"Many companies think of energy as a fixed overhead but saving energy is actually one of the easiest ways to reduce costs," Jones said. "Simply by switching machines off after use, or turning the heating down in warm weather, organisations can make real savings on their energy bill."

However, the survey also suggests that in order to maximise gains, senior managers need to take a proactive, company-wide approach to energy saving initiatives.

Almost half of survey respondents said they would be more willing to help their employer save money if they knew what they could do, while 42 per cent said they would be motivated into action if their employers simply asked for help.