The Carbon Trust has launched the Green Business Directory, which aims to be a valuable resource for organisations looking to invest in energy efficiency equipment and low carbon technologies.
Accessed through the Carbon Trust website, the directory features energy efficiency and low carbon equipment suppliers that have been independently assessed and accredited via the Carbon Trust Accredited Supplier scheme, in recognition of their skills and services in delivering low carbon solutions.
With over 40 accredited suppliers already listed, key technologies currently covered in the Directory including lighting, AM&T (automatic metering & targeting), HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), controls, compressed air, solar PV, biomass, energy efficient UPS (uninterruptible power supplies) and IT, energy efficient hand dryers and voltage management.
Suppliers listed in the Directory benefit from their own summary page, a link to their company website and promotion on the Carbon Trust website, which has over 400,000 unique visitors each year.
The Carbon Trust has also conducted a new survey to gauge business attitudes to energy efficiency and understand where companies go for advice on suppliers. Research was conducted between 6th June and 21st June 2013 by the Carbon Trust amongst 993 businesses who had undergone a technology upgrade programme.
At the top of the list of green technology investments was efficient lighting. Of the businesses polled 77% said they had invested in energy efficient lighting in the past year. 59% had invested in employee awareness training, while 57% had spent money on energy metering, monitoring and targeting technology.
However, while 96% of businesses surveyed said energy efficiency was an important consideration when purchasing or upgrading equipment, only 51% were confident about manufacturers' energy efficiency claims. 58% of those surveyed said they would have benefited from a trusted database of accredited suppliers in advance of purchasing equipment.
Managing director of business advice at the Carbon Trust, Hugh Jones, said: 'Our survey showed that return on investment is the most important factor for organisations considering investing in energy efficiency and low carbon technologies - but accurate business cases require accurate information from suppliers. The Green Business Directory will make it easy for organisations to find independently accredited suppliers who have demonstrated their success in delivering sustainable, low carbon solutions in what is a crowded and fast-growing market.'
To find out more about the Green Business Directory visit
http://www.carbontrust.com/greenbusinessdirectory
