Australian Business Energy & Sustainability Survey 2022
We asked mid-senior level professionals to share their experiences of how Australian businesses are using energy to meet their sustainability targets. 115 people took part and shared their insights which provide some interesting reading from an Australian context. Overall, it’s clear that energy and the environment are key topics for Australian businesses, with some organisations having defined plans to reach their sustainability goals.
While it’s positive to see these businesses are taking environmental issues seriously, there’s still scope for improvement, as only 35% of those surveyed responded that their organisation has 2030 or 2050 sustainability targets in place.
Of those that have sustainability plans, the outlook is positive; 75% have a defined action plan to meet those targets, with energy management being a key component. In terms of challenges in meeting sustainability goals, the feedback was broad, however the most common concerns revolve around costs, energy security and change management.
When asked if they would participate in Demand Response as part of their future planning, a way for commercial and industrial electricity consumers to become active participants in the electricity system and get paid for providing grid support when it’s needed, only 26% answered yes. However, when asked “If your business could get paid for helping support the national grid and enabling more renewable energy sources, would you participate?”, the uptake was much higher with 46% of respondents answering yes and 36% answering maybe. Considering that Demand Response can be a win/win solution for commercial and industrial electricity consumers, it shows that there is a lot more education and awareness required around Demand Response.
You can view all results and insights gathered in the infographic below.