WIDE-ranging new laws on energy efficiency will mean big changes for business people in the south, warns Graham Bennett of the Solent office of law firm Shoosmiths.

"Both the UK government's newly-published Energy White Paper and the EU Directive on Energy Efficiency will soon force all those either managing or developing buildings to build energy-saving measures into their budgets," explained Mr Bennett, a partner and commercial property specialist with the firm.

"Everyone in business is going to have to start thinking about saving energy - before they start losing money. Buildings are responsible for 50 per cent of all the energy used in the UK. British companies need to address making energy-efficient changes sooner rather than later.

"However, rather than being dreaded, the new requirements should be recognised as a chance for companies to save money by cutting energy consumption, as well as helping the environment. The new rules will therefore be of benefit to everybody - from business people to the planet itself.

"The government's White Paper seeks to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent within the next 50 years, with £348m being spent on renewable energy sources over the next four years - so better insulated and more energy-efficient workplaces will be an extremely important part of that."

The White Paper contains a firm commitment from the government to introduce tougher standards for energy efficiency in new homes and to increase the speed of changes to building regulations.

The EU directive requires member states to introduce regulations by January 2006 with the impact of:

setting minimum standards for building work on new and existing buildings

reviewing building standards at least every five years

introducing energy certificates for all buildings

testing the efficiency of boilers and air conditioning systems in commercial and business premises

In the UK, an innovative Energy Research Centre is planned to help develop new energy technology, and a report will be produced every year to measure Britain's progress in cutting carbon emissions.