Local Growth Fund Low Carbon Project is sponsored by Sheffield City Council. Provides support and funding for eligible businesses in Sheffield to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions through energy-saving improvements.

Local Growth Fund Low Carbon Project | Sheffield City Council Local Growth Fund Low Carbon Project Funding for businesses to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions. This project provides dedicated support and a source of funding for eligible businesses to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions. This programme is now open.

Please read the information below and if you're interested contact us. Email: lowcarbonproject@sheffield.

gov.uk How the Low Carbon Project could help Through the Low Carbon Project, you could: make your business more competitive, resilient and productive potentially safeguard and create jobs through improved profitability and reinvestment of savings become a more environmentally friendly business by reducing carbon emissions Eligibility to take part in the project To be eligible to take part in the project your business must: be a Small or Medium Sized Enterprise (SME), meaning 250 employees or fewer, with a turnover of less than £54 million have commercial premises in Sheffield – the scheme cannot support home-based businesses not have received more than £315,000 Minimal Financial Assistance subsidy over the last 3 years be able to provide 12 months' energy bills to establish baseline energy use (or however many months you’ve been in your premises, if less than 12 months) You'll receive the following if you meet the eligiblity criteria.

One-to-one support from an advisor Our advisors will guide you through every stage of the process.

They will: help you understand your energy usage and identify where you could save energy refer you for an Energy Audit or prepare a bespoke Energy Recommendations Report support you to develop and deliver a plan for your energy saving improvements support you to understand your options for funding improvements, including whether you could be eligible to apply for a Low Carbon Grant signpost you to other sources of support available to help you reduce your carbon footprint You'll get a free energy survey of your business, to establish how much energy you use now, as well as how you could save energy.

The report will identify energy saving improvements the business could invest in and provide a detailed breakdown of the carbon saving, cost, and return on investment for each, so you can decide what’s the right path to take. Depending on the outcome of the energy survey, you may then be able to access a Low Carbon Grant to part-fund energy saving improvements.

Your business will need to meet additional criteria in order to qualify for a grant. The project includes a grant scheme which contributes to the cost of energy-saving improvements. The grant will part-fund improvements, with the business making up the rest of the funding itself.

The funding is allocated as follows: you can apply for a grant covering up to 50% of total project cost (for example, if a project costs £10,000, you can apply for a £5,000 grant) the grant will be capped at £30,000 The minimum grant you can apply for is £1,500 (for a project with a total cost of £3,000). To receive a grant above £12,500 a project must demonstrate substantial energy savings.

All applications will be reviewed by a panel to ensure they offer good value before any grant amount is agreed.

How to qualify for a grant In order to qualify for a grant, your business must meet the following criteria: the improvements must be identified in an energy survey and deliver a net carbon reduction we can only support capital projects that have a return on investment of more than 1 year the investment must be set to complete by December 2026 tenants must have the permission of their landlord to make changes to the building fabric What we're not able to support working capital or operational costs Businesses whose main activities, products or services are contrary to existing Council policies and strategies are not eligible for funding under this programme.

This includes, but isn't limited to: those relating to gambling Case study: Excel Martial Arts Another organisation to benefit is Excel Martial Arts, a Sheffield-based CIC led by Liam Richards. Rising energy prices and the move to a larger facility had put pressure on the business, but support from the scheme enabled them to install solar panels, improving energy efficiency and easing financial strain.

The panels now save the organisation around £5,000 a year, allowing them to strengthen their team, enhance facilities and support even more people across Sheffield. Liam explained, every pound saved can be reinvested into helping children and adults build confidence, health and resilience. The Local Growth Fund Low Carbon Project operates across South Yorkshire.

If your business is based in Barnsley, Doncaster or Rotherham rather than Sheffield, please contact your local authority's business support team for assistance: Business Doncaster on 01302 735 555 and at info@businessdoncaster. com Enterprising Barnsley at investment@barnsley. gov.uk Rotherham Investment and Development Office on 01709 331 111 and at info@rotherham.

gov.uk Please note that eligibility criteria may differ slightly between local authorities. The criteria above are for Sheffield only.