Switched on firms are saving themselves thousands of pounds a year by using the latest technology to cut the cost of everything from utility bills to telephone calls.

And as well as saving money, many of the recent new technologies developed for the business community can also help reduce energy consumption according to Jim Venables, Managing Director of leading online office broker, officebroker.com which works with 97% of the UK’s serviced office space providers and landlords.

Some of the recent technologies now being employed by the business community include:

Smart Metering – many companies now have Automatic Meter Reading devices fitted to their existing meters which allow them to measure energy consumption by the hour, therefore highlighting periods of higher energy use and allowing them to identify ways of reducing energy consumption at peak periods.

Other advantages of using Smart Metering technology include more accurate billing and improved budget management.

VOIP – an increasing number of businesses are switching over to VOIP which allows them to make telephone calls using the Internet. Voice signals received by the telephone are converted into a digital signal that travels over the Internet then is converted back into a voice signal.

VOIP can be employed in different ways including software programmes, handsets and microphones installed onto computers or adapters which can be used with regular analogue telephones.

As well as significantly cutting the cost of telephone calls (all calls using VOIP to other VOIP users are free while other calls are usually competitively priced), businesses can also configure their VOIP system to present a particular image or impression to customers. Staff deployed in different locations, be they in the UK or even overseas, can operate off extension numbers or have their own number with the same area dialling code as head office.

Web Conferencing – is incredibly cost effective and productive as well as being the ‘green’ way to do business in this carbon conscious age. Meetings and presentation are conducted via Internet technology meaning no-one who attends the meeting has to leave their desk.

Simple to install, businesses can download an application from software or the Internet then either install a webcam onto computers or simply use the application without the camera for audio conferencing. Travel costs and carbon emissions are reduced and productivity increases as a result.

Virtual Switchboards – installing and maintaining a traditional switchboard can be costly. However, companies can now install business phone systems using a virtual switchboard which operates through a computer allowing for far greater flexibility yet fulfilling the same functions as a dedicated stand alone private branch exchange.

Additional phone numbers can be added at times of peak demand or to coincide with an advertising campaign, for example. A cost effective solution for companies looking for flexibility as responsibility for maintaining and upgrading the system remains the responsibility of the phone company and not the business installing the system.

Virtual Offices – particularly popular with start ups and small businesses, the virtual office allows for the running of a business without the expense of renting traditional office space. Virtual offices allow workers to have their mail forwarded on to them, have their telephone calls answered and redirected and offer meeting space and often a choice of additional services which the business can simply buy in to as required.

Green Computers - incredibly the average desktop PC wastes almost half the power supplied to it which converts into higher energy bills and excessive greenhouse gas emissions.

Improving the energy efficiency of just one computer results in cost and carbon output savings so firms that take steps to modify or replace all of their hardware can enjoy considerable cost and energy savings.