The number of businesses looking to improve their energy efficiency is one that continues to grow, due to the fact that energy usage accounts for around 9 per cent of a company’s operating costs. For most small and medium enterprises (SMEs), this amounts to at least 70,000 per year, which makes energy efficiency something of a Holy Grail for businesses looking to trim down on their yearly expenses.
A recent report (the Am rach Research report, which was funded by AIB), found that 54 per cent of businesses anticipated that their energy costs would inflate over the next three years. To combat this companies are looking to invest in energy-efficiency projects. Conversation is now so widespread on the issue that AIB announced a 100 million lending fund for companies looking to develop energy-efficiency projects. They also plan to make 1 billion available to the energy sector over the next three years.
Then there is the Irish government’s stated ambition to reduce energy consumption here by as much as 20 per cent by the year 2020.
But what does this mean for you Well, it means that the time is right to enroll on a programme dedicated to energy efficiency. Why Because it is a high-growth area that looks certain to generate jobs. If you are a business owner, learning about energy efficiency is just as important as the more you understand developments, the more money you are bound to save in the long term.
Then, of course, there is the pure and simple issue of raising environmental awareness. As we have come to learn in the last few years, the world has unlimited possibilities but limited resources with which to realise them. Knowing which ones are sustainable and ethical should be a priority at all times.
