Being an energy efficient business is not just for show. These days greater demand for energy saving measures in business is mostly driven by the desire to reduce costs by cutting waste. That said, there is a growing body of evidence that more consumers prefer to spend their money with companies that take the environmental impact of their activities, including energy consumption, seriously. And there is also an increasing amount of legislation and incentives for businesses to be greener.

But let’s focus on cutting business electricity costs for now.

Saving energy in business began to rise up the agenda in response to the rise in the price of electricity and gas. The rise in energy prices built momentum around the middle of the last decade and famously, or perhaps rather infamously, hit the headlines in 2008 when oil, gas, electricity and just about every other commodity hit all time record high prices.

However it has taken some time for companies, especially small businesses, to really embrace the need to be more energy efficient. Where energy is a very low percentage of operating costs, many other issues, be they strategic or more day-to-day, tend to dominate management attention. However energy costs are more controllable than most people think. And lower business electricity costs feed straight through to bottom line profits.

The good news is making the right investments in energy efficiency can deliver steady returns with financial savings year after year, as well as environmental ones. Thankfully, energy suppliers like EDF Energy have been developing energy efficiency services and support that are more attractive for these companies.

So if there is a silver lining to rising prices, it’s that this message - taking a greener approach to business electricity use is also the cheaper approach - has started to sink in more and more

Since the infamous 2008 energy price shock, the recession has forced all businesses, regardless of their size and model, to look at where they reduce overheads – preferably quickly and at a low cost. However, finding low business electricity prices is difficult. Although energy prices have fallen since 2008, the era of cheap energy is almost certainly over. You’d be hard pressed to find a business that says business electricity prices are cheap.

So if overheads must be cut but business electricity prices can’t be, then the sensible alternative is to focus more on the amount of energy used and cut waste.This is an ideal way to plan for the future, not only to cut your own costs, but also those that weigh heavy on the environment.