New research suggests a significant proportion of UK SMEs are not turning off their computers at the end of the working day
Small businesses in the UK are wasting £30.8m every single day by leaving their computers running at the end of the working day.
This is according to new research from energy supplier
E.ON, which reveals that one-third of UK SMEs do not turn off their computers at night. One in five also aren’t turning off computers over the weekend.
According to E.ON, much of the waste is attributable to businesses believing a common myth about energy consumption.
"Ten per cent of small business owners wrongly assume that leaving computers on standby at night uses the same amount of energy as shutting them down completely," said Iain Walker, head of Business Sales at E.ON.
"Introducing small changes into the culture of your business, like turning equipment off fully at night, can have a significant financial impact on your energy bills."
Retail SMEs are the worst offenders, with two-thirds failing to shut down their PCs at night and 59 percent over the weekend.
SMEs in the professional sector also performed poorly with 60 percent leaving their computers on at the end of the working day.
Agricultural companies were the most energy-efficient, with 69 percent shutting down their computers every night. The property sector was second best with 61 percent.
Broken down geographically, companies in the south were more likely turn PCs off than those in the north, which were rated as some of the worst.
Energy giant E.ON is embarking on a mission to “get British business energy fit” amid growing concerns over the country’s energy consumption.