Office buildings in Bristol are wasting enough energy to power nearly 9,000 homes, a new report has found.
The waste generates the same level of carbon emissions as 7,400 cars every year and is costing the city's businesses more than £5million annually, according to the research by independent think tank Green Alliance.
The report finds that most UK commercial buildings are energy inefficient and states overall energy consumption per square metre has flatlined since 2002.
Green Alliance says companies should be better using digital technology to save money and carbon, pointing out that artificial intelligence systems on the market could cut energy use by as much as 14 per cent in commercial buildings - saving Bristol businesses nearly £2million collectively within a year.
The think tank also suggests the city should look to the the National Australian Built Environment Rating System, which has brought down energy use across Australia’s office buildings by nearly 40 per cent since the scheme started 13 years ago.
If this level of progress is achieved in Bristol, the city's business energy bills could be reduced by a total of £50million over the next decade, according to the report.
Caterina Brandmayr, senior policy analyst at Green Alliance, said: “We all work for or know businesses that waste energy, whether it’s leaving lights on at night or wasting heat.
"It’s hard to see why dealing with this problem isn’t yet a priority, for companies in terms of cost savings or for the government in reaching its carbon targets.
"New digital solutions are an obvious and inexpensive way to cut business costs and carbon emissions. Bristol should take the lead and kick start the UK’s business energy efficiency revolution.”
'Much greater ambition is needed'
The government’s committee on climate change has said cutting energy waste is vital to meet the UK's goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
The government has committed to cut business energy use by 2030 by at least a fifth, but Green Alliance says existing policies are not sufficient to achieve it.
Rodney Turtle, vice president for public policy and government affairs at electrical equipment corporation Schneider Electric, said: “Much greater ambition is needed to improve the energy performance of UK buildings, ensuring that new buildings are much more efficient and promoting extensive refurbishment of existing ones.
"Digital solutions to accelerate progress are already available and other countries are already racing ahead in making the most of these new opportunities.”
Steve Brambley, chief executive of GAMBICA, the trade association for instrumentation, control, automation and laboratory technology, added: “There is no doubt that digital technology can be transformational in cutting the energy use in commercial buildings.
"We have the technology now to achieve this, what is missing is policy to make investment in energy efficiency a strategic priority for businesses."
