Businesses committed to buying renewable energy, and those with no intention of doing so, all believe their decision will save them money.

That conundrum is one of the standout findings in a survey of leading Australian companies and their approach to renewable energy by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

ARENA, a federal government authority, talked to about 96 of Australia's largest public and private companies and found just under half of them (46) were actively using renewable energy.

Of the other 50 businesses, just nine said they had any interest in looking into renewable energy and named cost as the No.1 impediment.

"Companies planning to use more renewable energy are doing so for the financial benefits, while businesses with no intention to use renewables say it's because it's too expensive," says the report, provided to Fairfax Media ahead of its release on Tuesday at the Australian Clean Energy Summit.

"This mismatch may be simply a case of familiarity. Companies already using renewables would likely have conducted in-depth cost-benefit analyses and therefore would be more familiar with the financials of renewable energy compared to those that have never used it."

Another reason for the differing positions, the report says, stems from specific industry pressures.

"For example, companies that use lots of energy, such as those in mining, manufacturing and agriculture, are more likely to monitor and be aware of the cost of different types of energy. Interestingly, these industries are also the most likely to see benefits in using renewables to mitigate energy supply risks," it says.

Despite the apparently bullish sentiment towards green power use, most of the companies using it apparently aren't using very much. Most of those companies (66 per cent) get just 10 per cent of their power from renewable sources.

Another clear trend is that companies like to generate the power themselves with solar panels, citing the quicker payback times.

Of those looking to buy renewable energy, half were willing to say how much they intended to spend.

If companies stand on the sidelines for too long, they risk falling behind their competitors.

Of those who would confirm their intentions, most were spending between $1 million and $100 million.

"The sectors most likely to be investing in renewable energy ... in Australia are construction, mining, financial and insurance services, and agriculture and food processing," the report says.

Another disconnect revealed by the report surrounded consumer attitudes.

While most businesses (58 per cent) think their customers do not care how they buy their power, a survey of 1000 consumers showed 76 per cent would choose companies that used renewable energy over ones that did not and many would pay a premium for products linked to renewable energy.

"The benefits for big business is immense. Consumers are more likely to reward companies that take the plunge with greater loyalty and higher tolerance of price fluctuations that may come with renewable energy procurement," ARENA chief executive Ivor Frischknecht said.

"If companies stand on the sidelines for too long, they risk falling behind their competitors in terms of saving on energy costs, reaching sustainability targets and meeting changing customer expectations."

The report noted that corporations overseas, particularly in America, seemed to have greater enthusiasm for green power.

A survey by PwC found that 72 per cent of companies were "actively pursuing additional renewable energy purchases", well above the 46 per cent figure in the ARENA study.

Companies, including Microsoft, Walmart and IKEA, have all made procuring renewable energy a priority for their businesses, the report says.