Big six supplier Eon has launched an initiative to help energy managers better communicate their role and help deliver greater savings for their respective companies.
Business energy managers are those in the workplace who are responsible for making decisions concerning their firm’s use of energy.
A survey conducted on behalf of Eon found that 92 per cent of business energy managers believed staff in their office would be able to identify them as the decision maker for energy.
Yet only 49 per cent of employees said they do not know who supervises energy in their workplace.
Almost three in five employees said they were unaware of their company’s energy saving practices, sustainability standards or energy efficiency legislation.
Meanwhile, 60 per cent say they have never heard of their company’s energy practices to begin with.
According to Eon, the role of the energy manager and energy management itself is often not understood enough in the workplace.
The survey found that only 4 per cent of people think energy management is important to keep their business operating effectively, compared to 37 per cent who believe IT is a more significant factor.
Eon’s ‘Get Promoted’ campaign aims to help energy managers gain more recognition for their work.
Phil Gilbert, director of business customer solutions at Eon, said: “We asked people when was the last time they thought about the amount of energy they used in work and it’s interesting – but perhaps not surprising – that people make more effort to save energy at home than they do in the office, as they feel the benefits in reduced bills directly.
“There’s clearly a job to be done around persuading colleagues that the little changes they make to their office behaviours can collectively have a significant impact, and what’s good for the company in terms of greater efficiency and lower overheads translates into a benefit for all in terms of job security and prospects.
“Our campaign is designed to help energy managers continue to make a real difference to a business’s bottom line and calls on the insight and expertise gained from our work with companies who have first-hand experience of how colleague behaviour can cut office energy use.”