According to Opus Energy’s latest poll of UK SMEs a large percentage of businesses in the UK are put off buying electricity from renewable sources due to cost and perceived complexity.
The poll found that nearly three quarters (72 percent) of small businesses that are not currently on a specific renewable energy tariff said they would consider it in the future, while the rest (18 percent) ruled it out as a result of cost and complexity. One third (29 percent) claimed to be not interested in buying renewable energy.
Charlie Crossley Cooke, Managing Director of Opus Energy said, “We estimate that around 10 percent of every customer’s bill is made up of green subsidies and that the proportion of renewable subsidies that all UK businesses pay will rise by around 25 percent over the next 12 months. SMEs are paying for renewable energy whether it’s clear to them or not.”
“There needs to be more transparency for small businesses around the contribution they are already making to renewables – and perhaps then there’ll be greater take up by SMEs,” Cooke concluded.
Opus Energy, which is a major supplier of electricity and gas to businesses in the UK, has sourced a large proportion of the energy it supplies to its customers from low-carbon sources.
