06 Feb 2008 11:02:24
SMEs 'should work to reduce carbon emissions'
There are a number of steps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can take to lower their carbon dioxide emissions, an industry expert has suggested.
Celebrity environmentalist Penny Poyzer of BBC2's No Waste Like Home claimed that IT equipment produces three to four per cent of the world's carbon emissions, a figure which she calls "staggering".
She added that some statistics show office equipment produces the same amount of carbon emissions as the aviation industry and that it is important for SMEs to take note of ways they can cut down.
Ms Poyzer stated that in some offices, keeping lights on all night accounts for around 17 per cent of their overall energy bill - which could be reduced by shutting lights off at night.
She also suggested that companies keep other large electric items, including water coolers and vending machines, switched off at the weekends to save electricity.
"If these companies just connected them on to timer switches they could then switch them off at the weekend, it doesn't make any difference but saves a lot of CO2 and energy."
Reports from the Carbon Trust indicate that businesses could make a profit comparable to a five per cent increase in sales if they reduced the amount of energy they used by 20 per cent.
