Businesses are under all sorts of pressure at the moment – with operating costs on the rise, and not to mention the carbon tax, there are plenty of reasons for CEOs to be anxious.
Companies are also being told to improve their energy efficiency, which perhaps makes more sense than usual now that the biggest polluters face a price on the carbon they emit.
A report from the Australian Industry Group shows that these rising costs aren't likely to subside anytime soon, creating the need for businesses to enhance their efficiency.
Energy Users Association of Australia executive director Roman Domanski told The Australian that much in the same way as homeowners, businesses are doing what they can to keep their bills down.
"A lot of those costs are unjustified and unnecessary, and so firms are really being forced to do things," he said, emphasising that government costs and renewable targets aren't exactly helping matters.
The Australian Energy Market Operator's inaugural National Electricity Forecasting Report recently suggested that the country's energy usage levels look set to fall.
This is hardly surprising – with costs increasing across the board, one of the easiest ways to deal with the problem is simply to reduce the amount of electricity we use.
Posted by Mike Peacock