Keen to cut your carbon footprint?
Advice and funding is available from your local council’s business support team
Did you know the local authorities in our region can provide tailored support to help your business thrive and grow? The assistance available includes specialist advice and grants that could play a big part in cutting your energy costs and unlocking the other benefits of understanding and reducing your carbon footprint.
We spoke to Phil Hall, enterprise development manager at Hull City Council and Dawn Hall, business support services manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, to find out more.
“The first thing we want businesses to know is while we might work in slightly different ways, and the support we offer differs a little, the economic development teams at both councils have the same essential remit – which is to provide support to help businesses across the region become more successful, which includes being more sustainable,” said Phil.
Dawn agreed: “Because of that common goal, we work very closely across council boundaries, to share what we’re doing with each other and make sure businesses across the region can make the most of all the opportunities and funding available to them,” she said.
Both councils can provide advice and grant funding to help small and medium-sized businesses reduce their carbon emissions. Here’s a summary of the support available and how to access it, whether you’re based in Hull or the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Hull City Council
Energy efficiency grants
These are grants available to help businesses reduce their energy usage and carbon emissions by installing energy-efficient systems and equipment.
Grants of up to £10,000 can be used towards up to 40 per cent of the cost of purchasing and installing LED lighting, smart heating systems, solar panels, electric vehicle (EV) chargers and other energy-reduction measures.
Phil said: “One of the council’s key environmental aims is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 750 tons each year.
“These grants are designed to help achieve that, while at the same time enabling businesses to cut their own emissions and energy costs.”
Eligible businesses will receive a thorough (and free) audit of your business premises, carried out by a council-employed engineer who will then recommend the most effective measures for cutting your energy use.
“It’s then up to the business owner to decide which, if any, of these measures they want to apply for a grant towards. More than 380 businesses in the city have already cut their carbon emissions and energy costs through these grants and we hope many others will do the same.”
One Oh Yes! Net Zero member that has already received an energy efficiency grant is café Liquid Jade, based off Whitefriargate in Hull city centre. Hear from owner Helen Schofield on the process and the benefits.
Business support grants
Another source of advice and funding that can help businesses on the path to Net Zero is Hull City Council’s generic business support grants scheme.
This provides grants of up to £5,000 to fund up to 50 per cent of a project or purchase that will best support the growth and development of your business, based on a needs analysis conducted with the help of one of the council’s advisors.
Phil explained: “This is a very flexible scheme that can help businesses with a wide range of needs, including activities related to decarbonisation.
“For example, if a firm’s growth is being held back because they need to demonstrate a clear understanding of their carbon emissions in order to tender for work, the grant could be used towards the cost of commissioning a consultant to calculate their emissions, or to develop a decarbonisation plan.”
For more information about these and other business support services and grants available from Hull City Council call 01482 615359 / 01482 612612 or email business.support@hullcc.gov.uk.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
“Every business is different, and the starting point when our advisors begin working with a firm is to get to understand it – how it’s doing generally and what its specific needs and challenges are,” Dawn said.
“For example, it might be that it needs support with marketing to unlock growth, or it could need investment in new equipment to increase production efficiency.
“Increasingly, Net Zero-related activities are becoming a focal point for businesses – some are focusing on this to meet requirements for tendering for work, while for others increased energy costs are affecting their profitability.”
The council provides a range of business grants of up to £10,000 to fund up to 50 per cent of costs including capital expenditure for infrastructure projects that will reduce carbon emissions. Among the investments that are eligible for grant funding are the installation of solar panels, LED lighting, efficient boilers and air or ground source heat pumps.
If this is a priority for your business, the council will provide a self-assessment tool you can use to review the energy efficiency of your premises. On engaging with the council’s business support team you will be allocated a named advisor, who can help you complete this assessment if you wish.
Dawn said: “In many cases, especially with very small businesses, the most effective way to reduce energy costs isn’t by installing solar panels or another renewable energy source – it might be to improve the double glazing or to insulate the roof.”
Where an initial assessment indicates that a significant reduction in carbon emissions could be achieved through an investment in renewable energy, the council will commission a full independent assessment of your premises, carried out free of charge by its external environmental partner.
If you wish to act on its recommendations you can then apply for a grant to help with the costs.
“We have a directory of suppliers and encourage businesses to use a local supply chain wherever possible – as well as keeping money in the regional economy this also makes sense from a Net Zero perspective,” said Dawn.
“One of the key points we make to businesses we work with is that while grants for renewable energy solutions might form part of the solution to cutting carbon emissions, the path to Net Zero is made up of lots of steps – behavioural changes by employees, your ways of working, the businesses in your supply chain.
“Our team is on hand to provide advice and support with all these aspects of your business operations, as well as any others that will help you become more successful and sustainable.”
To access East Riding of Yorkshire’s business support services call 01482 391622 or email business.support@eastriding.gov.uk.
Eligibility
Both councils provide advice and support to any firms that trade from the local authority area.
Priority for grants is given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 250 employees, an annual turnover of £43 million or less and a balance sheet of £37 million or less.