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We want to know what the top energy challenges are for small to medium sized manufacturers. We want to know your views on energy security, resilience, renewable energy, energy costs, the challenge of a clean and stable supply, and the impact on future growth. The  questions below will help us to identify what SME manufacturers really believe when it comes to confronting the UK energy landscape. The first few questions are about you and your sector which helps us establish the context of your later responses. Thank you very much for taking the time.

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* 1. How many employees does your business currently have?

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* 2. What type(s) of manufacturing does your business specialise in? (Please tick those boxes that are relevant)

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* 3. What type(s) of manufacturing does your business specialise in? (Please tick those boxes that are relevant)

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* 4. How would you describe your business practices?

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* 5. How would you describe the business outlook for your company today?

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* 6. Is your business in a position to trust external energy suppliers to provide you with a secure energy supply over the next 12 months?

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* 7. Does your business have an uninterrupted supply of electricity for your regular purposes?

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* 8. Which one of the following statements would you agree with?

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* 9. Can you rank the following potential challenges from 1 to 4 in terms of the impact on your business (where 1 is 'most significantly impacted' and 4 'least significantly impacted')

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* 10. Which energy sources do you consider to be most significant for generating a reliable and cost-effective energy supply?

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* 11. To guarantee uninterrupted supply, how likely are you to plan for your business's future transition to onsite generation?

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* 12. How concerned are you about potential energy blackouts in your business?

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* 13. Has your business begun taking steps to reduce your regular energy consumption e.g. through introducing an improved heating system?

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* 14. Do you believe your business could survive a rise in energy bills persisting after March 2023 (when the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme ends)?

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* 15. Do you think the manufacturing sector is sufficiently resilient to disruption in the security of supply?

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* 16. Germany is turning to more reliable coal-fired power plants to be restored or extended past their close dates to make sure the country has the energy capacity to adapt through the winter months. Hypothetically, if we could do something similar, should Britain do the same?

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* 17. Does your business have contingency measures in place for when your usual source of energy power is disrupted?

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* 18. Have you been helped by the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme?

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* 19. Do you have plant and machinery used in onsite renewable energy generation and electricity storage that are exempt from business rates?

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* 20. Would you be happy with more expensive but low carbon energy?

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* 21. Do you think your business's plans to attain Net Zero are having a negative effect on your energy supply?

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* 22. Would you need to know that there would be an overall cost benefit to your business when seeking to diversify your energy sourcing strategies?

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* 23. Are you receiving government assistance for industrial fuel switching?

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* 24. Are you taking steps to improve Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) in your regular processes?

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* 25. Have you selected alternative energy sources on the grounds of their ability to generate an improved quality supply of electricity?

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* 26. Does your business measure whether your electrical supply is delivered at a stable voltage and frequency?

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* 27. Are you aware of intermittency in electricity supply which is generated by renewable sources?

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* 28. Have you found your regular industrial electricity supply to have been undermined by the following? (Tick any boxes which are relevant)

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* 29. Are power management solutions, such as installing batteries, in response to any potential power outages or unstable voltages, affordable to your firm?

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* 30. Is the UK Government's Energy Bill Relief scheme (which began in October) likely to have a beneficial effect on your business?

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* 31. How worried is your business about being able to pay energy costs in the next year?

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* 32. Do any concerns you have for energy costs relate more greatly to electricity or gas?

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* 33. Do you think you will need to raise prices in order to be able to pay your energy costs in the next 12 months?

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* 34. Has your business made any redundancies or sought to lower employment costs to compensate for high energy costs over the past 12 months?

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* 35. Do you think energy costs in the UK are unfair compared to those paid in France and Germany?

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* 36. Is the exposure to high energy costs likely to threaten your business's survival?

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* 37. Have you in the past 12 months reduced or avoided the use of production equipment and machinery during peak energy periods?

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* 38. How much do energy considerations impact on your plans to make any significant investments in the near future?

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* 39. Are your decisions on investment and the cost of energy offset by the Annual Investment Allowance or other tax reliefs?

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* 40. What are your business's capital investment plans over the next 12 months?

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* 41. Which of the following would most help you in supporting business growth? (Select all that apply)

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