subject: Firms may be fined under new business gas and electricity rules [print this page] All firms use business gas and electricity to some extent and, under new rules, those that fail to register for an initiative being implemented by the government may be fined.
Enterprises that do not sign up for the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme by declaring their use of commercial gas and electricity could be stung with financial penalties of 45,000.
Under the terms of the legislation, companies and public sector organisations that use more than 6,000 megawatts of energy a year, which equates to a bill in the region of 500,000, must register and declare their consumption of the commodities.
The idea is intended to reduce the amount of business gas and electricity used by enterprises in order to help protect the environment.
It is thought that firms using around 6,000 megawatts of energy per annum may have to make payments averaging 38,000.
The financial penalties are based on every ton of greenhouse gas produced.
According to the Daily Telegraph, surveys have shown that many commercial gas and electricity users are unaware of the new rules and may be caught out by them.
The publication also pointed out that the new charges come at a time when businesses are still struggling with the economic conditions.
Bob Jarrett, of trade body the BHF-BSSA Group, expressed his concerns over the developments, stating: "The Department for Energy has not given this nearly enough publicity."
Meanwhile, Greg Barker, the energy and climate change minister responsible for overseeing the plans, said: "I understand the original complexity of the scheme may have deterred some organisations and I want to hear suggestions as to how we can make the scheme simpler in the future."
The initiative will be run by the Environment Agency, which is an executive non-departmental public body that aims to protect and improve the natural world and promote sustainable development.
Firms may be fined under new business gas and electricity rules
