Cold comfort for many small companies

The study, which has been carried out by XLN Telecom, one of the biggest providers of telecoms services to small business, suggests that many firms face a bleak winter.

However, some small firms aren't helping themselves by saving energy. The survey found that only 55 per cent of respondents bothered to turn off office equipment when they went home, and less than a quarter go to the effort of switching equipment off at the wall.

Christian Nellemann, group chief executive of XLN Telecom, said: "There are so many ways small businesses can save money on heating costs over winter – even basic things like switching equipment off at the wall, or installing better insulation."