July 2, 2008 - British workers may be concerned about climate change on a personal level, but a lackadaisical attitude toward energy efficiency on the job is costing their employers a staggering $25 billion annually, according to E.ON, a U.K. energy services firm.

Nearly 80% of workers polled admit to not practicing the same energy-saving steps at work as they do at home, citing a lack of financial incentives and worries about being ridiculed by co-workers.

The average office worker wastes about $12,000 a year and 3.36 tons of CO2, the study estimates.

“The resultant carbon footprint from staff failures to switch off the lights and computers overnight for a typical small business is equivalent to a round-trip long haul flight,” Jim MacDonald, commercial director at E.ON.

MacDonald believes with training and staff incentives, U.K. businesses can improve energy savings in their workplaces. “Collectively Britain’s businesses account for 35% of the U.K.’s carbon emissions and these emissions are still rising, in contrast to the energy savings carried out in our homes," he says. Our study shows that the right training and incentives can help change behavior.”