Energy advice schemes receive £20m funding

The government has backed a series energy advice schemes aimed at educating businesses and consumers.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has awarded £20 million of funding for 36 demonstrator projects designed to help advise consumers on energy efficiency.

The department has also announced the launch of the UK Business Climate Hub – a “one-stop-shop” for businesses, particularly SMEs, to access advice and support to reduce bills while cutting carbon emissions.

The 36 Local Energy Demonstration Projects (LEAD) projects focus on providing in-person advice to people such as those hard-to-reach consumers with no internet access, as well as those living in harder to retrofit homes.

More than £1.9 million has been awarded to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) for it to provide “an end-to-end customer journey that engages consumers with initial advice through to home assessments and puts them in touch with trusted suppliers able to complete the work”.

“Initial engagement will focus on building relationships with hard-to-reach local communities in their spaces. This will include drop-in advice services at community centres,” it added.

Elsewhere, Plymouth Energy Community has been awarded more than £1.3 million to target hard to reach groups such as the digitally excluded, low-income households and owners of traditionally built properties with advice.

“Central to this project will be a focus on how best to conduct retrofit advice visits in people’s homes, with high quality resources, advisor training and follow on support services all contributing to the solution,” it explained.

Meanwhile DESNZ said the new UK Business Climate Hub includes a carbon calculator, as well as “a suite of new tools to help businesses measure, track and report on their emissions and save money by using less energy”.

Advice provided includes on sourcing products from green suppliers and reducing emissions from freight and logistics.

In addition, the advice includes information around:

• switching employee modes of transport and paying less for company electric vehicles
• getting business grants, green loans and financing for a retrofit
• getting an air source heat pump
• generating green energy with a wind turbine and selling it back to the grid
• reducing emissions from farming and land use
• buying credible carbon offsets
• getting low-carbon product labels and certifications
• reducing waste and recycling more

DESNZ minister Graham Stuart said: “The UK has cut its emissions more than any other major economy in the world. More and more businesses are recognising the business benefits of reaching net zero and we’re determined to empower them to do so.

“The new UK Business Climate Hub is a one-stop-shop for businesses to find practical advice to reduce their carbon footprint and save on their energy bills.

“Whether it’s fitting a low-carbon heat pump, generating energy with solar panels, or reducing the emissions from shipping goods, the new support will ensure businesses can drive towards net zero.”

National chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, Martin McTague, said: “We are pleased to have contributed to the new UK Business Climate Hub that will provide businesses with trusted tools and information to help them navigate the net zero transition.

“SMEs recognise their role in net zero but many still find it challenging to access the relevant support and resources to play their part. This new official platform for advice and support will really help.

“In addition to helping small firms become more energy and resource efficient, the hub also has the opportunity to empower small firms to take ambitious steps towards net zero, ultimately ensuring that they also benefit from the economic opportunities created in a net zero economy.”