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Information sources galore to help green your business

There are so many ways in which a business can reduce its energy usage whether it is switching to energy-efficient or green sources, turning down heating or flow settings on a boiler or simply remembering to properly power off appliances when not in use.

Learn more about ways to cut down in our recent blog 10 Easy Ways to Reduce Energy Usage in your Business.

In our latest blog, we’ve pulled together some information on grants, support on energy audits and key information sources which can help you navigate your way through what can often be a confusing journey towards decarbonisation.

  1. Support from a Chamber business adviser is available to help you develop a decarbonisation plan.
  2. Fully-funded energy audits courtesy of the Chamber’s Accelerator project offer you access to an expert consultant who will review your gas and electricity bills as well as fuel consumption if you have a large fleet of vehicles. They will conduct a site visit to collect information and collate it into an energy savings opportunity report. Once you have this intel, you can start to implement the appropriate changes or use it as supporting evidence for a decarbonisation grant application.
  3. Decarbonisation grants, also part of the Accelerator project, are available to businesses in Chesterfield, the Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and South Derbyshire. Capital grants of up to £20,000, at a rate of 50% of costs, are available towards agreed energy-saving measures and can be used to increase productivity, purchase equipment, introduce new processes and techniques, export, and introduce new products or services. A number of other local authorities in the East Midlands are also running their own decarbonisation grants.
  4. The UK Business Climate Hub is a collaboration between the UK Government, businesses and business groups across the UK, with the key aim of empowering SMEs to take climate action on their building’s energy use, electric vehicles, renewal energy, maximising resources, becoming a ‘net zero’ ready supplier and product labelling.
  5. Made Smarter’s Smart Manufacturing Data Hub (SMDH) supports SMEs to harness the power of data to evaluate their processes and make operational savings. Grant funding is also available on a match funding basis, to allow for further development of digital technology in factories.
  6. The UK’s Energy Technology List offers a search tool where you can search, fund and compare over 8,000 energy-efficient products from refrigerated display cabinets to hand dryers.
  7. Midlands Net Zero Hub is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of the government’s clean growth strategy and is hosted by Nottingham City Council. It helps businesses and residents across the Midlands to reach net zero including through low carbon heat projects, local energy advice, and domestic retrofit schemes to create more energy efficient homes. It has also developed an evidence-based study of the Low Carbon Environmental Goods & Services Sector.
  8. The Energy Saving Trust provides insight, advice, training and consultancy services to communities, local authorities, government and businesses on home energy efficiency, low carbon transport, and renewable energy generation.
  9. UK-based consultancy the Carbon Trust supports organisations globally as they accelerate towards Net Zero whether that be through target setting, Net Zero pathways, assurance and footprinting, or policy advice, strategy setting and programme delivery. It has published a wide range of free guides and resources to help small businesses become more energy efficient, including an SME Carbon Footprint Calculator. (More information on the conversion factors for calculating carbon footprint are provided on the Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and the Green House Gas Protocol website).
  10. WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a global movement working together with businesses to use resources more sustainably by reducing waste, offers a number of online resources covering areas such as food loss and waste data capture sheets, and ‘Your Workplace Without Waste’ advice.
  11. Sustainability platform Zellar supports businesses in establishing a clear roadmap to Net Zero by calculating their carbon emissions; saving them money through green energy deals (with no broker fees) and sector-specific green tech recommendations; access to certified offsetting, biodiversity and volunteer projects; and learning from other businesses and experts.

As part of the Chamber’s Accelerator project, businesses in eligible areas of the East Midlands are invited to sign up for a free one-year Zellar licence.

Find out more 

Book your place on a fully-funded workshop or webinar of your choice by accessing the full range of Accelerator low carbon training.

For more information on wider Net Zero support across the D2N2 area, check out the Chamber’s Net Zero page.

The Accelerator project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and is delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

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