Green grants available

Businesses in Telford are being invited to apply for grants of up to £20,000 to help cut their energy costs.

The new EU funded Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) is offering free energy assessments and grants to small and medium sized enterprises throughout the Telford & Wrekin local authority area.

Assessments are open to SMEs who want to use their energy more efficiently, reduce costs and improve their environmental credentials.

The process involves two days of support worth up to £1,000 to assess a business’s equipment, premises, processes and performance to target opportunities for improvements in energy usage.

Assessors produce a report containing recommended actions, which can be used to support grant applications for projects worth up to £50,000. Grants can be awarded for up to 40 per cent of a project with businesses contributing 60 per cent.

Activity that could be supported by grant funding includes improving lighting, insulation, or energy management along with heating and boilers, double or triple glazing or energy efficiency equipment that leads to process improvements.

Yasmin Sulaman, Business Support Officer, from the Marches Growth Hub, said: “This is a golden opportunity for businesses to gain a valuable insight into how they can reduce their energy costs and make their organisations more energy efficient.

“It’s a great package of assistance with the opportunity for substantial grant funding at the end.”