Many businesses in the building sector are turning their backs on energy efficient power and heating systems because they fear that the savings such systems can produce are too good to be true, according to one of the UK's leading energy management companies. Paul Hamblyn, head of market development for energy management company, ENER-G, says that some organisations view the energy efficiency issue and the well-proven and successful technologies that go with it as a 'black art'.

'At ENER-G we sometimes find ourselves in the bizarre position of being able to deliver savings of 25-30% only to discover that the client believes it is all too good to be true'.

'No matter how well and how often these technologies prove themselves there remains a minority who see them as a black art '.

The same organisations become enthusiastic converts once they see the systems working and delivering the kind of savings and efficiencies they previously thought was done with smoke and mirrors,'Paul Hamblyn said.

'The recent Stern Report on climate change called for private and public sector organisations to make reducing carbon emissions a top priority and government has said repeatedly that new technologies will play a vital role in helping organisations reduce their carbon footprint'.

'Climate change is now a headline issue around the world and the push to reduce carbon emissions has found its way onto boardroom agendas everywhere'.

'The Kyoto Protocol didn't just change the way governments are expected to tackle global warming, it also placed a burden on organisations of all kinds to find ways of cutting their emissions through the use of new energy technologies and energy efficiency management'.

The problem is that some organisations are missing out on opportunities to cut their energy costs and improve their energy efficiency because they don't know what to believe and who to listen to.

That makes no sense for them, it makes no sense for the energy management industry and it is damaging Britain's ability to deliver on its Kyoto targets'.

It is a collective failure to the get the energy efficiency message across to the organisations that need it most'.

'Government, our industry and the media has a responsibility to tackle the suspicions and doubts'.

'We have the technologies and expertise to make a huge difference to organisations in this country - the proof is out there for anyone to see - but we simply have to do more to get that message across,' Paul Hamblyn said.