Three quarters of small businesses in the UK are blind to the cash-saving benefits of energy efficiency, a leading electricity company has warned.
In a survey carried out by npower just 24 per cent of small firms said they believed a small carbon footprint would boost business.
Commitment to energy efficiency was also found to have fallen, with managers rating it at sixth out of 10 in terms of importance - half a point down from last year.
However, the figures showed widespread support (81 per cent) for government action on climate change.
Paul Coffey, npower business managing director, said: "It seems small businesses are increasingly interested in the role of carbon reduction and believe the UK is taking the right direction in terms of combating global warming, but it is how this is translated into their own businesses where there seems to be a disconnection.
"Better energy efficiency provides cost and CO2 reductions, delivering to the bottom line while improving environmental performance."
The company said a lack of time and money were contributing to the downward trend but that it only took "a few simple, green measures" to boost profits.
It added that an npower team had been visiting pubs to give advice on cutting costs.
At the Bay Horse in Cherry Burton, East Yorkshire, the company found cleaning the beer cellar condenser and switching off lights alone could save the pub £436 a year.
Licensee Karl Richardson said: "I think what surprised me the most was that there are so many small things we can be doing that can really make a big difference."