Energy concerns around poor management

23 May 2012

New research shows 51 per cent of organisations are worried about the financial impact of rising energy bills - yet less than 20 per cent of finance teams are accountable for energy tracking and management

Getting the best deal for domestic energy customers has become headline news in the wake of unwelcome hikes in energy prices. Yet according to new research commissioned by Zeco Energy, many businesses and professionals are also worried about the impact of the mounting cost of their organisation’s energy bills.

The One Poll survey, which questioned 500 financial decision-makers from across the UK, revealed that just 19 per cent of finance teams had responsibility for tracking and managing energy, despite the fact that energy is typically one of the highest expenses for business and a major source of avoidable waste and potential cost savings.

Elsewhere, responsibility fell to non-financial workers including office managers, facilities managers, energy managers and reception or security staff. 14 per cent of firms assigned no accountability for tracking and monitoring energy in their organisations.

“This research underlines the fact that finance teams need to do more to tackle avoidable waste and reduce the burden of what is often a major operational expenditure for the business,” said Jon Kent, managing director of Zeco Energy. “Successfully achieving this will require a much higher degree of visibility, accountability and change. For this reason, it must become a priority for the finance teams and board members of any organisation.

The research has been commissioned to support the launch of Zeco Energy Manager, energy management software.