The National Body Repair Association has welcomed the government’s announcement this week that it will impose a cap on energy prices for businesses, but warned that the six-month time-period may not be long enough.
Executive Director Chris Weeks said, “We are pleased to see the government taking action to support business with the increasing energy costs prices. The announcement was much needed and it will give relief to our members that are facing utility bills that have risen by more than 250% in the past year.
“However, we are still extremely worried for our members, who will still need support after the six-month timeframe.
“The nature of our work means that we are high users of electricity and gas. We estimate that the average body shop uses 160,000kWh/year of electricity and 400,000 kWh/year of gas, which equates to bills of £65k total in the year to June 2022.”
Chris added, “Bodyshops play a vital role for the automotive industry and are crucial to our communities, therefore financial support from government is imperative to keep them in business.”
