The difficult financial times facing households around the country and the increasing rises in fuel prices has done more to cut emissions than concerns about the environment.
Reports suggest that motorists are now burning 18% less fuel than the same time 10 years ago. The economic doom and gloom of the potential triple dip recession is forcing people out of their cars. However, despite the positive gains made on the roads, the picture is completely different in the home. The harsh financial times have not affected our wish to keep warm in the home. Such desires are confirmed further through the record profits announced by British Gas last month. The energy giant saw annual profits increase 11% from its residential energy business.
Are we a nation of frugal warriors or a nation with green finger tips?
In the current economic climate it would seem that Britain is quickly becoming a nation of money saving addicts. Individuals and businesses alike are continually reviewing internal habits in an attempt to break expensive and unnecessary expenditure. Although the secondary benefits of such cost cutting procedures are resulting in lower national emissionsit is quite obvious that the overall incentive appealing to the UK population is the financial rewards.
However it is clear that it pays to be green. With rising energy costs everyone is feeling the pinch and therefore increasing amounts of businesses are now taking their ‘green eco policy’ seriously. Becoming aware of financial benefits of green changes can in-turn bolster a company’s brand and corporate image, whilst additionally pleasing the board with a direct impact on the bottom line.
Making the change doesn’t have to be difficult!
Making corporate social responsibility inspired changes that improve the overall environmental friendliness of business related activities doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. One internal area many business owners are now focusing upon is transport and logistics. Such can accumulate to a significant amount of a business’s overall expenditure; therefore any action to lower the cost of transportation is essential for business owners who are serious about profit maximisation.
One simple change that can save a company significant amounts of capital is the implementation of a company fuel card. Fuel cards allow for complete control over fuel expenditure through the use of a comprehensive online management system. Such allows for businesses and transport managers to accurately budget for upcoming months. The cards can also be registered in a way that prevents there use for any other products except fuel & oil.
Forward thinking is the future
For companies that have their very own fleet of vehicles, it is now a great time to change old and dated gas guzzling vehicles in search of efficiency. Although changing a fleet may present short-term expenditure it is almost certainly going to save businesses money in the long-run.
For businesses that haven’t got their own fleet and instead offer mileage reimbursement to employees it could be a good idea to scrap such methods because businesses that offer mileage reimbursement are usually susceptible to higher amounts of CO2 outputs. This is due to limited control over what vehicles their employees use for business purposes. Furthermore, when allowing employees to use their own cars for business purposes there is limited control over safety, quality and fuel efficiency.
