The Low Carbon Growth Support Project (LCGSP) provides free energy efficiency audits and grants for Sandwell businesses to purchase new equipment and/or consultancy to help reduce energy bills.

​The project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020 programme and is delivered by Groundwork West Midlands in partnership with Sustainability West Midlands.

The LCGSP is designed to help eligible small and medium-sized enterprises in the Black Country and Greater Birmingham and Solihull areas to deliver projects that will increase their energy efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint and reduce energy costs.

The free energy efficiency audits are done by Groundwork West Midlands with the aim of reviewing a business’s energy performance and identifying opportunities for improvements.

Following the audit a business can apply for a grant to part-fund a project to implement the recommendations from the audit. The grants available can cover 32.5 per cent of the capital cost of new energy-saving equipment and/or around 50 per cent of consultancy costs to take a more in-depth technical review to identify the most efficient way to reduce energy costs. The balance of the project costs must be funded by the business.

The funding available could be used to support:

• Intelligent lighting
• Combined heating and power
• Recovery of waste heat
• Energy efficient process equipment identified during the free energy audit, for example upgrades or implementation of more energy efficient plant and equipment.

To be eligible for the programme a business must employ fewer than 250 people, have an annual turnover of less than £42m and a balance sheet value of less than £36m. It must also be less than 25 per cent owned by another company and pay rates to one of the Black Country or Greater Birmingham and Solihull local authorities, and trade on a business-to-business basis.

Additional support is available from the Carbon Trust Green Business Fund, a new energy efficiency support service for small and medium-sized companies in England, Wales and Scotland. It provides direct funded support through energy assessments, training workshops, equipment procurement support and up to £10,000 capital contribution towards energy saving equipment purchase.

For further information about funding from the Carbon Trust please visit the Green Business Fund page on its website.

For further information about the Low Carbon Growth Support Project please visit http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/news/the-low-carbon-growth-support-project/ and download the attached PDF.