OVER 100 businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire have benefitted from low carbon funding totalling more than £550,000, and there’s still £1million up for grabs.
The Green BELLE project can provide grants of up to £7,000 to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to help cover the costs of low carbon, energy-efficient improvements to their premises.
So far, the scheme has provided £552,394 of grant support to 101 local businesses. It is estimated that this has result in carbon savings of around 900tCO2e per year – equivalent to the total carbon footprint of around 280 typical homes.
Green BELLE grants can be used to support a wide range of low-carbon and energy-efficient measures, such as installing efficient heating systems, low-energy lighting, insulation, or solar PV panels.
Grants can be awarded to cover up to half of the total costs, with the remaining amount required from the business as match-funding.
Businesses have also seen a significant reduction in their energy bills as a result of improvements made through the Green BELLE scheme.
Deputy city mayor for environment and transportation Cllr Adam Clarke said: “These grants give local small and medium-sized businesses the chance to become more energy-efficient and save money on their running costs.
“We have ambitious plans to help make Leicester a carbon-neutral and climate-adapted city by 2030. The Green BELLE scheme is a really good way to welcome more local firms on board and show them that becoming more energy efficient is good for business and for the city.”
Green BELLE stands for Green Business Energy in Leicester and Leicestershire. The project is run by Leicester City Council’s sustainability service with support from Leicestershire County Council.
Green BELLE is part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). To find out more about the Green BELLE grant scheme visit www.greenbelle.org.uk
Details about further support on reducing your carbon footprint and the green agenda coming soon from the Growth Hub. Subscribe to our newsletter to be kept informed.
