The Low Carbon Workspaces Project – grants to help SMEs become more energy-efficient

Financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), The Low Carbon Workspaces Project is a grant scheme aimed at helping business to reduce the amount of money spent on energy, by installing cost effective, energy-efficient solutions. 

 

The project is executed and managed by Ngage Solutions, a not-for-profit company based in Buckinghamshire, UK, dedicated to designing programmes that support communities, businesses and individuals. 

 

Working alongside Milton Keynes-based charity The National Energy Foundation (NEF), the project aims to dramatically improve energy use in businesses across the South East of England.

 

Available to small and medium sized businesses based in the South East, the grants can be used to fund anything from draft insulation and window glazing, to infra-red heating and LED lighting, and will cover up to 40% of the full cost.

 

As well as helping to minimize energy-related spending, the project can offer up energy-efficient ideas, aimed at reducing overheads by lessening overall energy consumption, and thereby enhancing a business’s environmentally savvy reputation. 

 

To be eligible for a grant, businesses must have been in operation for at least one financial year, and must be outside the retail, care, farming and education sectors. 

 

To qualify as a small or medium-sized business, organisations must employ fewer than 250 staff members, and have an annual turnover of less than €50 million. 

 

The Low Carbon Workspaces Project has 100 grants available of between £1,000 and £5,000. At present, 20 of these have already been allocated and another 20 are in the pipeline.

 

To see if your business qualifies, and to receive a personalised energy efficiency plan, simply fill out an online eligibility form, giving details of your organisation, employee numbers and building.

 

If your application is approved by the Project Panel, you will receive an offer letter which will allow you to begin your energy saving project.