The news that the extra fee applied to electricity bills will be green until the end of the year, without additional charges for consumers, will favor small businesses, said today (18) economist Aline Barreto, an analyst at the Microphone Support Service. and Small Businesses of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Sebrae Rio), economist Aline Barreto. The information on the permanence of the green flag was released by the National Electric System Operator (ONS) last week.
According to the economist, the sector was greatly affected by the covid-19 pandemic, and small entrepreneurs needed to assess whether they passed on energy increases to the consumer, says an economist at Sebrae. small businesses were the most impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. “With the increase in electricity, entrepreneurs needed to assess whether it was worth passing on the increase to the consumer. This measure will bring relief to those who undertake,” said Aline.
Research carried out by the national Sebrae in December last year, with 6,883 entrepreneurs from all states and the Federal District, composed of 59% of individual microentrepreneurs (MEI), 36% of microenterprises (ME), 5% of small businesses ( EPP), and focused on the moment that small businesses are going through, found that the vast majority of national entrepreneurs took measures to reduce electricity costs.
Among those responsible for small businesses interviewed in the survey, 24% avoid using energy at peak hours, 4% installed solar panels, 9% exchanged old equipment for more modern ones, 9% inspected the quality of the company’s electrical installations, 38% advised their employees about the importance of spending less energy and 31% did not take any action.
In the state of Rio de Janeiro, where there are 534 entrepreneurs out of a total of 6,883 consulted by Sebrae, 29% of small businesses have avoided using energy during peak hours in recent months, 2% have installed solar panels, 8% have exchanged old equipment for newer models. 9% inspected the quality of the company’s electrical installations, 36% advised their employees on the importance of spending less energy and 31% did not take any action.
Tips
Sebrae Rio guides small entrepreneurs to invest in economical electrical appliances with the Procel seal, which categorizes products from A to G; replace old equipment, review appliances and turn off those that are not being used; bet on natural or solar lighting; make employees aware of the need to save; avoid plugging too many appliances into the same outlet; observe the hours of use of these; invest in thermal insulation; changing light bulbs for more economical models; seek expert advice and invest in renewable energy sources.
According to the national Sebrae survey, entrepreneurs believe that the economy will only return to normal in 16 months, that is, in April 2023.
According to the survey, the moment experienced by small businesses is reflected in the following percentages: 31% are operating as they did before the crisis; 55% underwent changes because of the crisis; 9% had their operation temporarily interrupted and 5% closed permanently.
