Spiralling energy costs have become a major concern for UK business owners, but new data from Uswitch shows that office workers aren’t so worried about racking up their employers’ bills, with more than half leaving devices on standby, despite knowing the impact.

Polling 1,000 UK employees, Uswitch found that more than a fifth (21%) routinely leave devices like laptops and computers switched on because they are not paying the electricity bill, even as over half (52%) admitted being aware of the financial and environmental consequences.

Uswitch’s analysis shows that large businesses may pay as much as £86 every year for the electricity to run a single computer, adding up to thousands of pounds when scaled across enterprise firms.

Even more worrying, a quarter of workers say they leave devices on over holiday periods or during longer office closures, leading to frighteningly high yet avoidable extra costs.

Meanwhile, poor screen habits may also be increasing business energy bills. Uswitch found that one in five (22%) of employees rarely turn their monitor off when away from their desks, while 21% rarely or never set their computer to sleep after short periods of inactivity.

Those in the legal sector admitted to some of the worst energy-wasting habits. Despite nearly one in five (19%) legal workers claiming to understand the environmental impact of idle devices, higher than any other profession, 46% leave their monitors on and 38% leave desktops on after they clock off, more than any other industry.

However, just 37% of office workers believe their employer provides clear guidance on energy-saving practices, while 18% feel they are not encouraged to reduce energy use, despite 52% agreeing they would support policies or reminders to ensure devices are switched off.

Uswitch’s findings show that only 34% of workers are aware of policies and guidance regarding switching off devices, and just 35% said their manager reminds them to switch off at the end of the day.

Greater awareness of sustainability targets could motivate employees to cut energy use, with 42% of workers saying they would be more likely to power down if they understood their firm’s goals, and nearly half (46%) agreed they would be more likely to switch off devices if the cost savings and environmental benefits were clearly communicated.

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As energy prices continue to rise, the problem is only growing. Uswitch found that 89% of businesses are using more energy than ever before, with a third (34%) saying that energy-intensive tech and process digitalisation has further increased energy usage and bills.

“There are opportunities for business owners and leaders to better communicate energy policies and the benefits of reducing energy for both sustainability and financial purposes,” said Ben Gallizzi, a business energy expert at Uswitch. 

“Work closely with your internal communications and HR teams to identify knowledge gaps within your workforce and improve awareness through clear, engaging training and regular team-wide updates.”