That’s according to a report from LPG supplier Flogas – the Flogas Energy Expenditure Report – which reveals that, despite falling oil prices, the £12bn per year currently spent on oil can be cut to £8.7bn.

Oil is expensive, inefficient and dirty to burn. By switching to energy sources such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), Flogas suggests that companies could cut CO2 emissions by 13.2 million tonnes per year, saving up to £2.6bn in energy costs.

When oil burning equipment is replaced by more fuel efficient LPG burners, this saving rises to over £3.2bn.

Flogas managing director Lee Gannon said: “We initially carried out the research purely for internal purposes, but after seeing the figures, we felt the only responsible action was to share them with the industry.

“These are figures that everyone needs to see. Times are still tough, and there is a greater need than ever for businesses to reduce their energy costs and cut carbon emissions.

“We find the biggest reasons that businesses burn oil is a lack of awareness that there is a cheaper, greener alternative, or because they are under the misconception that switching is expensive or difficult.

“By sharing these figures we hope to help the sector make savings, while at the same time making a large dent in their carbon footprint.”

According to the research, the industrial organisations could make the biggest financial and carbon savings, followed by construction, leisure, and then rural manufacturing businesses.

Table: savings by sector
Earlier this week, edie reported on a call for Government to recognise the long-term role of bio-LPG as a sustainable transport fuel from LPG provider Autogas Ltd.

Lois Vallely

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