Four Cumbrian businesses are using grants totalling £64,500 to help them be more energy efficient.
The money is from Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership’s Innovating for Success programme. Since it was launched last September, 33 businesses have had a share of a £1 million helping SMEs take forward their innovation and decarbonisation plans.
“These four businesses are a great example of what can be done. It’s about every business taking steps that makes sense to them”, said Jo Lappin, chief executive of Cumbria LEP.
Based on the outskirts of Holme village, Storth Machinery was established in 1999 by Chris Richardson and Alan Looker.
It is now the leading manufacturer of slurry handling equipment in the UK which it also exports to over 30 countries. Chris and Alan will use their grant of £10,000 towards a total cost of £33,743 to replace all incandescent light bulbs with LED lights in the production building.
At the Crown Hotel in Wetheral, a grant of £20,000 will help meet the costs of £123,582 to install a 40 KW solar array and a number of electric recharging station at the hotel. The project will also increase the power of existing solar PV to support the EV charging system.
And another grant of £20,000 will help John Ackerley at Milton Mains, near Brampton, install solar panels on the farm’s self-catering holiday cottages. This will lower electricity costs and carbon footprint. The total project cost is £63,500.
In the east of the county, near Penrith, Blencow Partnership Limited is using its grant of £14,500 towards a £46,000 project to install solar panels and EV charging points at Blencowe Hall and Melmerby Hall.
In addition to linking up with local e-bike supplier Arragon’s Cycles, the EV chargers will also decrease the carbon footprint of visitors and employees using and working at the conference centres and self-catering accommodation.
Mrs Lappin added: “Cumbria is uniquely placed to lead the way on net zero. We already generate 5.6% of the UK’s clean energy, have strong plans for business decarbonisation and an abundance of natural capital to help address carbon issues.
“I am delighted that the grants have encouraged businesses to invest in decarbonising their businesses, using a range of technologies. The LEP is here to support large and small businesses to progress their plans. That’s one of the drivers behind Innovate for Success.”
Grants are split into two areas:
- Innovation: Maximum grants of up to £50,000 to part fund initiatives that turn new ideas into commercially viable and deliverable propositions.
- Carbon reduction: Maximum grants of up to £20,000 to part fund practical projects that will help businesses reduce energy usage or increase renewable energy production.
Independent economic assessment completed for the LEP has confirmed that over a 10-year period, the Innovating for Success investments will deliver an additional £37million of economic growth, create an additional 97 full time equivalent jobs and save over 4,160 tonnes of CO2.
