•    Half of agricultural bosses left to switch off machines when not in use (47%); half have to turn off lights (55%)
•    Energy waste a main worry for bosses, but more than a third (36%) of small agricultural firms do not track consumption
 

Britain's workers are leaving the majority of small business bosses fuming and frustrated by leaving lights, equipment and machinery powered up at the end of the working day, a new survey by E.ON1 has revealed.
 

Energy waste is one of the top irritations for two thirds of bosses at small agricultural businesses, creating tension in the workplace as 6 out of ten (61%) say they are the ones left to take sole charge of monitoring and managing their company's energy consumption.
 

Whilst minimising costs is the main motivation for agricultural leaders wanting to see greater workplace efficiency (91%), 39 per cent also said that a poor reputation for sustainability could lead to customers viewing their business in a negative light. As a result, controlling energy waste is seen as the most important thing for maintaining business efficiency, behind accurate budgeting and collecting debt.
 

The research of 1,000 small business decision-makers also provided insights on some of the measures agricultural bosses are taking to encourage a more positive attitude to workplace energy performance, including:
•    41 per cent set improvement targets and a third (30%) align staff bonuses with overall business efficiency.  
•    A quarter (26%) use technology to track efficiency but 14% currently lack the tools to do so
 

Measures businesses said would help encourage staff to monitor energy consumption more closely include:
•    Real time information showing use/waste (28%)
•    Breakdown of consumption across heating, lighting, machinery and equipment (27%)
•    Information on energy performance of other businesses in their sector (13%)   
 

Anthony Ainsworth, Sales and Marketing Director at E.ON, said: "It's positive to see many small business owners and managers proactively monitoring energy performance but it is understandably frustrating if you feel you're fighting that battle alone. Senior staff might not always have time to keep track of consumption, and businesses that are able to embed a culture of monitoring throughout the workplace will have a greater chance of improving overall business efficiency.  
 

"To achieve this it's important all employees have greater visibility of their company's energy habits as well as understanding the implications of waste.. At E.ON, we want to help customers address both of these needs, providing the tools and advice they need to gain better insight of their energy performance, and how to use no more than they need, but delivered in a way that helps them get on with the business of running a business."

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The pie chart shows an average example of energy use in agriculture and horticulture. Of course, there’s really no such thing as an average agriculture and horticulture business, and these figures will vary depending on the specific business.

For instance, cereal producers will use lots of energy for drying, while intensive livestock farmers are likely to use most of their energy for heating and ventilation.

The UK government has set a target of a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Furthermore, energy supplies in the UK are becomingly increasingly dependent on imported gas and oil from Europe and beyond. These two factors mean that industry in the UK is facing new challenges to identify new sustainable energy supplies and adopt low carbon technologies.