Free business support to improve energy efficiency in the East Midlands

Businesses in qualifying areas of the East Midlands are being encouraged to take advantage of the funded business support to help them improve energy efficiency and save costs.

To date, nearly 1,200 businesses have attended the project’s energy efficiency and carbon reduction events and training courses, with 146 accessing the Premises Energy Audit consultancy service and 132 developing decarbonisation plans

The project, delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of participating local authorities, is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).  It offers businesses:

• Premises Energy audits designed to help identify energy efficiency improvements and opportunities to reduce costs. Audits typically involve a one-to-three-day site visit (depending on the size or complexity of the business) to review energy usage assets and gas/electric consumption pattern (as well as fuel consumption for businesses with a large fleet of vehicles).  Findings are collated into an energy savings report which not only helps reduce energy wastage but is useful supporting evidence for grant applications.
   
• £2,000 Growth vouchers towards the cost of specialist consultancy or bespoke training supporting the adoption of energy efficient practices that lead towards the development or implementation of a decarbonisation plan. 
   
• Training, both in-person and online, to help businesses gain green business skills and plan their journey towards carbon neutrality, including the one-day certified course on Carbon Literacy taking place on Tuesday, 21st January.
   
• Energy reduction workshops at Toyota Motor Manufacturing offering practical demonstration and shop floor observations with Toyota’s energy specialists, the next of which takes place on Thursday, 13th February.
   
• Access to online sustainability platform Zellar to help showcase the real-time environmental impact of activities and to produce a decarbonisation plan.

East Midlands Chamber Deputy Chief Executive Diane Beresford said: “The environmental benefits of reducing your carbon footprint are well documented but there are much wider advantages for your business. It helps you become legislation compliant, supports your procurement and tendering processes, builds resilience and, of course, reduces costs. 

“From bite-sized webinars to accredited training, premises energy audits and consultancy funding, the Accelerator project is helping businesses in very practical ways to save costs and energy and become greener and more resilient.  For any business that has yet to take advantage of the Accelerator project, I would urge them to do so before the project ends in March.”

Businesses interested in signing up for support can do so by completing the relevant Expression of Interest form at: www.emc-dnl.co.uk/accelerator.