Smaller companies slow to adopt green energy

by Catherine Woods - Friday, 7th March 2008 -

Tight margins are preventing many smaller companies from embracing green energy, says Opus Energy MD Charlie Crossley Cooke.

“Your average SME business owner is probably more focused on running the business on price than on the green product," he says.

“We find that our larger customers – county councils and larger high street customers – are now much more focused on environmentally responsible purchasing."

Opus only deals with businesses. Most of the company's clients are in the SME sector but Opus is attracting a greater number of larger corporates, many of which are keen to reduce their carbon footprint.

Crossley Cooke launched Opus in 2002 after forging a successful career in the UK energy industry. “I started off in energy risk management and then I ran Enron Direct, which was supplying businesses with energy.

"When Enron failed, we sold that business to Centrica for £100m. That was in 2001. Having sold the business, I was looking for something else to do. I set up Opus with the idea of taking what I’d learnt and putting it into practice in my own business.”

As for Opus's own green credentials, Crossley Cooke says the entrepreneur-led company has bought renewable energy where possible for four out of the five years its been operating. "Sixty-six per cent is from low-carbon sources, 47 per cent is from renewable sources and a further 19 percent comes from cleaner combined heat and power sources," he says.

“We offer a variety of products for customers depending on what they require on the green front.”

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