Small business owners, just like householders, can be prone to energy hardship – often for reasons outside their control. Small business owners have also been known to mesh business finances with personal finances, increasing the risk of personal financial hardship and stress in the event a business should fail.
This research project, ‘Small Steps Bright Future: Supporting small business toward net zero and beyond’, spearheaded by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, with the involvement of research consultancy 89Degrees East, sought to identify the risk-factors for small businesses facing energy hardship and develop tailored supports and early intervention to improve small business energy efficiency and lower energy costs.
The project identified potential triggers for hardship and what tools will best support small businesses to navigate energy risks and the energy transition. The project also identified, for the first time which types of small business are most at risk of experiencing energy hardship and of being left behind in the energy transition, filling an important gap in the available research in Australia.
This research has potential for significant impact. It will provide COSBOA and ECA with an important evidence base to support both organisations’ advocacy for the needs of small business in the design of the energy market.
