Petrol prices may have come down recently, but energy prices are generally moving in one direction only - and that's up. For many businesses, energy costs have doubled in the past two years and yet, say energy experts, most have just swallowed the increases when they could slash their bills by 20% to 30%.

One of the main reasons is that too many confuse being green with being energy-efficient. Adrian ­Harvey, commercial director at British Gas Business, says: "Green and energy efficiency are related, but they're not the same. Energy efficiency is good practice, while being green is a business preference. Energy efficiency is increasingly being exercised by large companies but ignored by small ones."

He urges businesses to reassess their energy use and look for ways to cut costs. C-stores in particular can be very energy-intensive, he says.

Yet many businesses have no idea what those costs are. "You ask retailers how much they pay and they just say: 'a lot'. If you asked them anything else - how much they spent on bacon, for example - they would be able to tell you the margin they make and how much they sold it for. Energy they're ignorant of.

"One of my retailer clients was on the wrong tariff. Another was on the wrong power supply and meter. It's not reasonable to expect them to know. But it is to expect them to ask us as their supplier. Turning lights off - that's just common sense. We've got to get beyond that."

Nevertheless, basic issues such as lighting are a good place to start looking for simple and easy wins, especially for smaller businesses, believes Dr Garry Felgate, director of delivery and external relations at the Carbon Trust. Most stores do not have their lights on outside trading hours, but how many are fully lit during the day when only part of the store needs lighting?

Businesses should also assess how much energy they're using for heating, refrigeration and IT. Ditto air conditioning. This July, energy provider EDF encountered problems when high demand for air conditioning in London led to power cuts. EDF had underestimated demand, but the situation was exacerbated by store managers over-using their air conditioners.

Harvey urges: "Think about your thermostat. At what point do you let your air con go on?"

There's also in-store display and merchandising to consider. Too many fridges are overstocked, using far more energy than necessary, he argues. Reduce the number of facings and put a cardboard box to the rear of the fridge, however, and you can save money.

"You can still present a well-merchandised store without having to overstock," he says, adding that businesses should audit their energy requirements to check whether they're on the right meter or tariff. If a retailer moves into a property previously occupied by a manufacturer, it may be on a heavy demand meter when a light use meter is all that's required.

To help assess usage, British Gas Business is hoping to introduce a similar scheme for small businesses to the one it offers home owners. "There's a recognition that we've got to have some sort of readily accessible mechanism to help them understand business costs."

The scheme, currently being piloted with third-party providers, allows businesses to assess how much energy they are using with the help of a simple handheld digital device. Once they know how much they're spending, they can start to devise a strategy to cut costs.

Always be pragmatic, he advises. Don't introduce technology that will take you years to recoup its costs. "I wouldn't do anything that had payback in more than three years."

The good news is that supermarkets are ahead of the curve, says Dr Felgate. "Some of the fastest take-up is in the supermarket sector."

However, for every business that's addressing the issue, there's another that isn't. They ignore rising costs at their peril, warns Harvey. "If your electricity bill was £3,000 a couple of years ago, it is probably now closer to £6,000. You've got to do a huge amount of additional turnover just to stand still. Our message is that you can do something about it."Go Green and become Lean Five steps to saving energy

Create your policy

Set out your business objectives for energy management and create a clear policy that is well communicated to all involved.

Activate your policy

Establish and document responsibilities. Set targets and develop action plans. Ensure management is committed.

Monitor & control

Establish consumption and review usage on a departmental basis. Identify areas for improvement. Monitor regularly.

Get everyone involved

Support, motivate and empower staff to get involved. Use posters, e-mails, intranet, internal magazines, courses, etc. Lead by example.

Measure success

Produce regular progress reports. Consider effectiveness of policy and propose further improvements.

Source: British Gas Business