SMEs want energy suppliers to use more renewables

A majority of small and medium-sized businesses want their energy supplier to be more committed to renewable energy as the supply sector fails to meet many of their needs.

A new report showed that 72 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) would like energy suppliers to be more committed to renewables, whilst only 11 per cent would rate their current energy supplier as excellent in terms of renewable energy options and support.

The Haven Power report also revealed that just 23 per cent of SMEs believe they are receiving an excellent deal and 71 per cent agree that it should be simpler to switch supplier.

The scale of difficulty in switching business supplier is evident in that 21 per cent of those who tried to switch did not end up with a new supplier. The third factor likely to stimulate a switch after price and service was the offer of renewable electricity.

Haven Power chief executive Jonathan Kini said: “That so many SMEs are dissatisfied with their existing energy supplier is perhaps unsurprising, but the sheer scale of the discontent revealed in this report remains shocking. SMEs want more from their supplier and a commitment to renewable energy is one of the demands they are pushing for.

“This suggests there is some fundamental change happening, and we in the energy sector need to respond to it by not only helping SMEs reduce their energy usage but also being able to supply 100 per cent renewable energy.”

The business supplier also found 73 per cent of SMEs chose value for money as a main priority and 26 per cent cited that support in being more energy efficient is a feature they look for in an energy supplier.

The report comes as Haven Power prepares to launch a new initiative in Suffolk to help SMEs switch to more renewable energy and become more sustainable.