The importance of Going Green

Going green and becoming eco-friendly is becoming increasingly important for businesses, both in terms of their environmental impact and their bottom line.

The Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) programme provides businesses with a grant (that doesn’t have to be paid back) of up to £20,000, enabling the opportunity for businesses to make their operations more sustainable all whilst reducing their carbon footprint.

In this article we have provided an overview of the LoCASE grant and how you and your business can use it to make your operations more sustainable. Covering everything from the eligibility criteria, the types of projects that can be funded, all the way to the application process.

The LoCASE Business Development Grant

If your business is looking to expand or become more energy efficient, you may be eligible for a business development grant. This particular grant is targeted towards businesses who offer energy-efficient products or have taken significant steps to reduce their environmental footprint already.

The grant can be used to fund projects that will help your business grow, as well as energy efficiency upgrades. Numerous businesses have already taken advantage of this opportunity, from plumbers offering energy efficient boilers to manufacturers utilising recycled materials.

The LoCASE Energy Efficiency Grant

If you don’t qualify for a business development grant, you can still receive funds to lower your energy costs and decrease your carbon output.

Generally, businesses can apply for an energy efficiency grant to finance projects like LED lighting, insulation, heating, machinery upgrades, or renewable energy systems, including solar and battery storage.

What is the eligibility criteria?

To be eligible, you must:

Employ 250 employees or fewer

Have an annual turnover of £44M or less and an annual balance sheet of £38M or less

In addition if another firm owns more than a quarter of your company, they must also meet the above criteria too.

What can you buy?

The grant can cover 40% of expenditure towards your business growth, up to £20,000.

For environmentally-focused businesses it will cover:

Plant, equipment & machinery, Materials and equipment for research and development, Facilities hire e.g. specialist lab facilities for testing, Product development and research, Marketing and advertising, Website development costs, IT software, Certification and accreditation, Used electric vehicles, Energy efficiency and other environmental improvements.

And for any type of business the grant will cover:

Energy efficiency and other environmental improvements, Used electric vehicles, Projects that reduce waste materials or water, Renewables for energy/heat generation.

How and when to apply?

Applying for the LoCASE grant is straightforward; simply visit their website and complete the SME Eligibility Questionnaire to register. Once you have been approved, you can purchase the items and submit proof of the purchases. The grant will usually be paid within 30 days.