Businesses faced with rising energy bills have been urged to consolidate their energy-efficiency efforts and develop a long-term plan to save money and curb energy use across their operations.

Recent reports have revealed that all but one of Britain's 'Big Six' energy providers are preparing to raise prices in a move that will affect both business and domestic customers over the coming months.

The Sunday Times reported last weekend that E.ON and npower will shortly follow Scottish Power, British Gas and Scottish and Southern Energy in announcing price hikes. The move would leave EDF Energy as the only one of the UK's main suppliers to not as yet increase its prices.

Experts speaking last week during a BusinessGreen webinar on enterprise energy management, urged businesses to turn away from the traditional approach of 'tactical' energy management and develop a long-term board-level energy strategy.

Peter Charville-Mort, analyst at research firm Verdantix, explained that such a strategic approach would help firms reduce their exposure to rising fuel costs, energy market volatility and stricter environmental regulation. It could also help to improve a brand's reputation with shareholders.

'Strategic energy management not only helps to mitigate threats that could impact your business now and in the future, but also help realise the opportunities that weren't previously available,' he said.

Setting out the steps firms need to take to develop an enterprise energy management strategy, Nigel Griffiths, principal consultant at AEA, which co-hosted the webinar alongside BusinessGreen and software firm Hara, said it was crucial that firms not only measured but also analysed their energy data to gain a more accurate picture.

He cited a survey from Johnson Controls, which found that of the 80 per cent of businesses monitoring their energy data, only 20 per cent then analysed it and took action based on the detail they uncovered.

He explained that AEA was asked by a sports stadium to help reduce demand from a set of power-hungry floodlights. However, when the energy use was monitored, it revealed the greatest consumers of energy on the site were not the lights, but the beer chillers at the stadium which were left running 24/7.

He added that having accurate energy data could then aid the next step towards developing an effective strategy: pitching projects to the board.

'Until you understand what you've got, it's very difficult to make that case,' said Griffiths. 'Once you've got board-level accountability, it will make this process much easier.'

He emphasised the importance of pitching energy-efficiency projects at the right level for the audience, noting, for example, that executives should use financial as well as environmental language when making the case for an energy-efficiency investment to the chief financial officer.

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