A round-up of energy-related grants and support

Smart Energy Greater Lincolnshire

This is a £9.2 million programme part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Smart Energy aims to support small to medium businesses and public buildings in the Greater Lincolnshire area to reduce cost, boost renewable energy and lower carbon emissions. The programme is being delivered by North East Lincolnshire Council on behalf of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.

The programme offers a wide range of free services from webinars and on-site audits with an energy saving report to free expert advice and grant funding of up to 38% to help cover the cost of an energy-saving project. It has helped support a wide range of businesses and public buildings to invest in energy-saving measures including LED lighting, solar PV, heat pumps and new boilers. Visit Smart Energy Greater Lincolnshire to find out more.

Smart Energy has teamed up with world-renowned leading expert IFAS to deliver the programme. IFAS is award winning and globally recognised for its leading methods in zero-emission technology and material flow management and brings a range of expertise and knowledge to the programme, helping businesses to achieve their sustainable goals and save money.

Grimsby Leisure Centre took part in the scheme, investing in a range of energy saving measures, and is now set to make a financial saving of £45,000 and to save 190 tonnes of carbon a year. Click here to read the full story.  Other positive business impacts the programme has delivered can be found in the case study library here.

The programme will close on 30th November 2020.  Click here to apply, or join the Be Businesses Smart: Cut Cost and Carbon event on 30th September 2020 to find out more.

THIS PROGRAMME IS NOW CLOSED

Rural Community Energy Fund

The RCEF scheme supports rural communities across England that want to set up renewable and low-carbon energy projects. Funding is split into two stages: stage one grants provide up to £40,000 for feasibility studies and stage two grants provide up to £100,000 for business development and planning. The Midlands Energy Hub administers the scheme in the Midlands.

The need for low-carbon community energy is high and it is vital that community groups have access to the right resources and assistance to enable them to secure their future energy supply and protect them from rising costs.

To date, 15 projects have received stage one funding. Positive Activities in Grimsby has received funding for a feasibility study for an anaerobic digester on its 15-acre community-owned site in a Lincolnshire village.

In order to receive funds, a local community group must have formed a legal entity that provides a benefit to the community. For the purposes of RCEF, this includes:

  • Community interest companies (CICs)
  • Community benefit societies (Bencoms) 
  • Co-operatives
  • Pre-commencement societies 
  • Registered social landlords
  • Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
  • Registered charities
  • Development trusts
  • Amateur sports associations
  • Town or parish councils

Communities based in a rural area and which have a project that could benefit from RCEF support should click here. 

Be Business Smart Event

Smart Energy has teamed up with the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce to bring businesses a virtual event with world-class speakers. The event provides a forum to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy through learning forums, knowledge sharing activities, panel discussions and case studies, and it will also highlight and demonstrate the latest technology and approaches to allow companies to innovate, save time and money, and adopt changes in the fight against climate change. To sign up and find out more click here.

Green Homes Grant

The GHG (local authority delivery) scheme has been set up for local authorities to improve energy efficiency and install low-carbon heating to low-income households in their area and is a separately run competition to the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme.

The scheme will run in two phases: the initial phase of the scheme provides £200m funding for local authorities to upscale existing programmes and is now closed.

The Midlands Energy Hub is currently working on phase two of the programme. A further £300m will be available across the five hubs and will open in 2021. More details will be made available in due course, or you can contact the Midlands Energy Hub team here.

THIS FUND IS NOW CLOSED