The Carbon Trust has today launched a New Year business action plan that it claims, if universally adopted, could save UK plc £1.4bn in 2008.

The list of low or no cost energy saving measures could also reduce UK businesses' carbon footprint by over 11m tonnes, the company said.

The six point action plan calls on firms to calculate their carbon footprint; shift to energy efficient light bulbs; switch off unused PCs and non-essential equipment; lower office temperatures by one degree, saving up to eight per cent on heating bills; and fit automated timers to water coolers and vending machines.

Carbon Trust chief executive Tom Delay said that embracing these measures should be on all firm's list of New Year resolutions, particularly given the likelihood of high winter energy bills over the next few months and growing pressure from customers for firms to embrace greener business models.

"Our six steps show that putting energy efficiency and carbon saving into action couldn’t be easier and switching off lights, turning down the heating and turning off equipment when not in use can save businesses an average of more than 10 per cent on their energy bills," he said.