Thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), eligible small and medium sized businesses across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk have been taking advantage of grant funding from the Eastern New Energy (ENE) Programme’s SME Grant Scheme.
As part of the University of East London led programme, the environmental charity PECT is overseeing the grant scheme helping businesses to secure financial support to invest in low carbon and energy-efficient measures, such as LED lighting.
Funding can cover up to 25% of capital costs, subject to sufficient energy savings being secured, of projects with a minimum value of £4,000. The Eastern New Energy Grants Team are especially keen to hear from businesses looking to invest less than £15,000, as part of an effort to support smaller scale projects.
St Ives based business Direct Communications Radio Services Limited (DCRS) were awarded a £2,234 grant towards replacing their traditional light fittings with LEDs. The project has estimated annual cost savings of around £3,164 and carbon savings of around 6.1 tonnes.
Michael Price, Accounts Manager at DCRS, explains: “The process to apply for a grant was simple and straightforward. Clear instructions and advice were given at every stage to ensure a smooth path for our project to be completed.”
Interest in the grant scheme has increased significantly since the start of 2022, therefore businesses who may be interested in grant funding are urged to get in touch with the ENE team as the funding pot is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Expressions of Interest MUST be submitted by 18th March 2022.
Interested parties can find out more about receiving a grant, and eligibility criteria, by emailing [email protected] or visiting www.pect.org.uk/projects/ene
Eastern New Energy has received funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The programme is led by the University of East London, with a wider partnership comprising 23 organisations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.