The UK's small business owners have revealed what's keeping them up at night – including winter bills, unexpected costs and worrying they've left something on at work.
A poll of 1,000 SMEs found cash flow, getting enough new business and late-paying customers are also mulled over in the early hours on a regular basis.
As many as 92 per cent consider keeping energy costs down to be among their biggest priorities in the day-to-day running of their business this winter.
And 80 per cent are 'haunted' by invisible energy use driving up their bills, such as equipment running out of hours, or 'phantom' power drawn by devices left plugged in but switched off.
Despite their best efforts, many may have inadvertently added to their bills by leaving desktop computers and screens (43 per cent), printers and photocopiers (42 per cent) and laptop chargers (37 per cent) plugged in when not in use.
Other common culprits include mobile phone chargers and microwaves (both 33 per cent), coffee machines (32 per cent) and TVs (25 per cent).
A further 43 per cent have left printers, photocopiers or computers on overnight, while 20 per cent admit they may have kept fridges and freezers colder than necessary.
Of those polled who don't own a smart meter, 41 per cent say they don't know how much energy they use out of hours.
Most Haunted star and former small business owner, Yvette Fielding, has teamed up with Smart Energy GB, which commissioned the research, to encourage businesses “to take on their energy ghouls” and get a smart meter for greater visibility of usage and accurate billing.
She said: “From running my own business, I understand how important it is to closely monitor each and every running cost.
“Ahead of winter, I’d encourage all small business owners to spend a bit of time investigating their outgoings and thinking about what they could do to save some cash.
“One thing is making sure you’re not spending money on energy your business doesn’t need to be using.
“Getting a smart meter installed can help owners identify what’s silently draining energy and costing their business money.”
However, it’s not all ghostly tales, as 91 per cent of small business owners polled who have a smart meter for their business said it’s helped them find ways to save some money on their energy bill.
The study found 96 per cent of those polled have taken steps to save money on energy costs at their premises.
These include switching off lights in unused areas (53 per cent), turning the heating down or off overnight (46 per cent) and turning appliances off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby (42 per cent).
While 39 per cent have switched to LED lighting, 36 per cent have taken to only heating rooms in use, and 36 per cent have trained staff to adopt energy-saving habits.
Carried out through OnePoll, the research revealed 54 per cent believe gas and electricity are the business costs owners feel they have the least control over.
Paul Watts, who runs one of London’s oldest bookshops, Bookshop on the Heath, said: “The worst thing that can happen as a business owner is when outgoings are higher than expected.
"Having a smart meter has given me a much better understanding of where our energy is being used, making it easier to manage our costs and make changes to save where we can.
“I put off getting a smart meter for a while, but it was so quick and easy to get one installed, so I wish I'd done it sooner."