Boost for SMEs thanks to updated energy saving guidance and support from the Carbon Trust Green Business Fund

The Carbon Trust has released a series of updated tools and guides to support businesses wanting to take advantage of energy saving opportunities, helping them to cut their bills and reduce their impact on the environment.

05 February 2019

These include specific sector guidance highlighting the best opportunities available for businesses, as well as specific technology guides for implementing high efficiency equipment.

The energy saving tools are specifically designed for small and medium sized businesses in the UK, taking them through a step-by-step process for reducing their energy bills. They include the:

  • SME Energy Benchmark Tool: comparing relative performance of sites against industry benchmarks, helping to prioritise savings opportunities;
  • Lighting Business Case Tool: assessing current lighting use and potential savings from upgrading to more efficient lighting and controls; and
  • SME Carbon Footprint Calculator: enabling companies to measure and report on their greenhouse gas emissions.

Support is funded entirely through the Carbon Trust’s Green Business Fund, the energy efficiency support service for small and medium-sized enterprises in England, Wales and Scotland. This provides no-cost assistance for companies through regional training workshops and webinars, expert energy saving opportunities assessments, and equipment procurement and implementation support.

Since its launch in 2016, the Green Business Fund has supported hundreds of small businesses to identify and implement energy saving opportunities. When receiving an energy saving opportunities assessment, small companies identify an average potential saving of £8,230 on their energy spend through cost-effective measures.

Commenting on the release of the updated tools and guides, Laura Timlin, Director of the Green Business Fund at the Carbon Trust, said:

“Far too often companies see energy as a fixed overhead, but there are usually lots of opportunities to save meaningful amounts of money every month through low or no-cost measures. When businesses take action, the savings can really start piling up and the case for invest-to-save projects can be compelling.

Before a business can take advantage of energy efficiency measures they have to understand where to start. This is why we created an updated set of tools and guides. We would encourage businesses to make the most of these resources, or get in touch with the Carbon Trust Green Business Fund directly for energy saving advice.”