Benefits of using renewable energy
Generating and using renewable energy can help you to reduce your business' contribution to climate change and avoid using carbon intensive resources such as fossil fuels. Renewable energy also offers a wide range of other benefits to businesses, including:
- Protection from rising energy prices – Using less gas and oil means your business is less affected by sudden increases in energy costs.
- Moving towards your net-zero goals – Helps your business cut carbon emissions and meet its environmental targets.
- Meeting customer and supplier expectations – More customers and large organisations expect businesses they work with to reduce their carbon footprint.
- Making sustainability reporting easier – Provides evidence and data that can be used in environmental and sustainability reports.
- A more reliable energy supply – Reduces dependence on the energy grid and fossil fuels, helping your business cope better with energy disruptions.
- Lower carbon emissions from day-to-day operations – Reduces the environmental impact of running your business.
- Better access to funding and investment – May help your business qualify for green grants, loans, or investment opportunities aimed at sustainable businesses.
Even if your organisation's core business is not in the renewable energy sector, switching to renewable energy could still provide you with an additional revenue stream. See the page in this guide on generating income from renewable energy.
If you would like to learn more about renewable energy or other key issues you can use the NetRegs e-learning tools. These tools are free to use and cover the essential points of each topic. They might be useful as a refresher course, or to make sure that staff have a good understanding of their environmental responsibilities.
- Preventing pollution – a general guide
- Duty of care
- Sinks, drains and sewers
- WEEE
- Generating renewable energy
All are available at: NetRegs: e-learning tools.
In Scotland, Business Energy Scotland has developed the Green Network for Businesses. This tool allows you to search by postcode for green businesses in your area. All these businesses have installed energy saving or energy generating technologies.
Once you identify the business that has installed the green technology you are interested in, contact them to organise a visit.
Business Energy Scotland: Green network for businesses