The supplier said that examining 6,000 smart meter readings showed that 46 per cent of business electricity use happens outside of the traditional business hours of 8am-6pm.
Examples of unnecessary electricity use identified by British Gas were; lighting car parks at the weekend; pubs keeping fruit machines switched on 24 hours a day; retail units in shopping centres keeping display lights on when the centre is closed; and vending machines left switched on in offices overnight and at weekends.
British Gas said it was responding by launching “Business Energy Insight”, which will show businesses how, when and where they are using electricity and help them to save money through energy efficiency measures.
By signing up to Business Energy Insight, businesses will have:
A smart meter installed on their premises that will put an end to estimated bills.
Access to an online dashboard showing hourly, daily, weekly and monthly electricity usage that can be used to identify savings through behavioural changes.
Support from over account executives specifically trained to help customers implement energy saving measures.
As part of the launch, British Gas is following five businesses to see how they save energy. These businesses include a pub, high street bakers, chocolate factory, local convenience store and manufacturing business.