UK manufacturers could significantly reduce their energy expenditures by implementing simple measures to power down machinery when not in use. According to FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics, the industry lost up to £408 million in 2025 due to machinery left idling when factories are closed. This wasteful practice results in nearly 1.8 TWh of electricity squandered annually, representing 0.64% of the UK’s total electricity usage — enough to power approximately 500,000 homes each year.
The analysis highlights a major inefficiency in small and medium-sized manufacturers, particularly those operating single-shift production schedules without an off-shift switch-off policy. These businesses are most affected as they contribute significantly to the energy waste by not isolating their machinery between shifts.
In the context of rising energy costs, UK manufacturers pay nearly twice the EU average for electricity. With an estimated £14.7 billion projected to be spent on electricity in 2025, more than half of this consumption will power production machinery. Chris Iveson, CEO of FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics, notes that while large manufacturers have adopted systems to monitor machine-level consumption, smaller enterprises have yet to embrace these energy-saving practices. He points out that idling machines consume around 50 kWh per week, costing about £450 per machine annually.
Regulatory changes now require manufacturers to calculate per-unit carbon emissions, prompting a shift towards using machine-level productivity and energy data. This data-driven approach is helping manufacturers manage machines more efficiently off-shift, resulting in significant savings and sustainability improvements.
