The agency claims that the equivalent of 100,000 staff salaries could be saved by companies taking a pro-active approach to reducing their energy bills.

Cutting down on this kind of expense could also help save jobs which might otherwise have to go due to the current economic climate, explains Hugh Jones, a director of the government-sponsored body.

He continues, saying a fifth of senior business managers had increased energy-efficiency measures, with many encouraging staff to turn off computers and lights, turning down heating and improving insulation systems.

‘It’s an encouraging sign that wise companies are realising that cutting carbon and being green is the easiest way to make a business lean,’ Jones adds.

A new study by British Gas has found that taking energy-saving measures could save £4.6 billion on the UK’s domestic energy bill.