Helping businesses to become more energy efficient and to cut costs and carbon
The Business Energy Efficiency Cambridge & Peterborough programme (BEECP), which ran until summer 2020, aimed to provide support and grants to small businesses to help catalyse investment in energy efficiency initiatives, to reduce carbon emissions and realise the associated business benefits including; reduced operating costs, increased competitiveness, business growth and resilience.
Project Stats
270
Businesses supported
£1,400,000
Cost savings identified
6,500
CO2 tonnes savings identified
What support was available?
The project offered two strands of support to help businesses improve resource efficiency;
Energy Reviews – A fully funded on-site review to help identify, prioritise and quantify opportunities for cost and carbon savings for your business. Additional support was available to help businesses identify specific solutions and products, with detailed feasibility studies as required.
Capital Grants – Qualifying businesses were able to apply for a capital grant – up to a maximum of 25% or £20,000, whichever is the lower – to help catalyse investment in products and solutions that will reduce energy use.
Eligibility – who could we help?
The project was offering assistance to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
There are eligibility criteria that your business needed to meet and the project was unable to support businesses from certain sectors including (but not limited to);
– Fisheries or aquaculture
– Agriculture or the processing of agricultural products
– Synthetic fibres
– Banking and insurance
– Healthcare
– School age education
Retail businesses could benefit from an energy review, but were ineligible for a capital grant.
What area did the project cover?
The project covered the Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area, which includes the following 14 local authority areas;
- Cambridge
- East Cambridgeshire
- Fenland
- Forest Heath
- Huntingdonshire
- North Hertfordshire
- South Kesteven
- Peterborough
- Rutland
- South Cambridgeshire
- St Edmundsbury
- Uttlesford
- West Norfolk & King’s Lynn
- South Holland
How was the project funded?
The project was part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Eligible businesses could have a fully funded energy review, however, grant funding was limited and was available until all funds had been allocated.
who was delivering the support?
The project brought together experienced organisations and energy efficiency practitioners led by PECT, and delivered in partnership with Nwes.
