Furthermore three-quarters (76%) of respondents have called for radical energy supports in Budget 2027, according to a cross-sector report by Techies Go Green. The survey of 200 business leaders across the island of Ireland conducted Censuswide also found that 69% of of respondents would struggle to absorb another sharp increase in energy costs, while 43% said rising energy bills had already reduced profits.
The report also showed how business decisions are being affected by the energy market. Some 28% of respondents said they had increased prices for customers as a result of energy costs, while 51% had delayed or cancelled energy-related investment. Higher energy costs had also affected recruitment, with 18% saying they had delayed hiring as a result.
The research suggested that the commercial case for sustainability investment was becoming more important for businesses.
Almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) said cost savings were a primary driver of sustainability investment, compared with half (51%) who cited environmental sustainability.
The impact varied between sectors and jurisdictions.
In Northern Ireland 42% of respondents said they had increased prices for customers, compared with 23% in the Republic of Ireland.
The findings were released as Techies Go Green launched its Smarter Energy Challenge, an eight-week programme aimed at helping businesses understand their energy use and identify opportunities to reduce costs.
Michael O’Hara, co-founder of Techies Go Green, said: “When seven in 10 businesses say they would struggle to absorb another sharp increase in energy costs, the pressure they are under is clear.”
O’Hara added: “What’s also striking is that almost two-thirds now point to cost savings as a primary reason for sustainability investment. Businesses want to make progress, but increasingly they need to see a clear commercial return.”
He said the programme was intended to give business owners and energy decision-makers practical information on how their energy was being used, where money could be wasted and what technologies and financing options were available.
Techies Go Green is a not-for-profit business network with more than 1,000 members, bringing organisations together to learn, share ideas, foster best practice and build relationships. The network enables businesses in the tech sector and beyond to become verifiably sustainable, decarbonise their operations and identify new opportunities in the growing green economy.
Techies Go Green has launched the Smarter Energy Challenge, an eight-week programme created to help organisations turn energy uncertainty into practical action. The aim is to help businesses identify where they can reduce their exposure to energy costs and where investment is most likely to deliver real value.
Patryk Goron
Ltd
