Companies have been urged by a leading financial services firm to pay greater attention to their business energy use.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said that as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency scheme has come into force, firms will have to significantly improve their business energy efficiency.
Companies were advised to closely monitor their current energy usage, as research shows poor performers could add almost 20 per cent to their energy bill by 2015.
David Walters, PwC partner for sustainability and climate change, said: "Businesses need to get on top of the long-term energy, cash flow and reporting requirements.
"Underestimating the impact will hit companies' bottom line at a time when they can least afford it."
He added that the reality is a growing business has more energy needs but if firms want to avoid additional costs, they need to make the transition to low-carbon functionality.
The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, formerly known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment, came into force in April.
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