Marches Energy Grant

In affiliation with the pilot Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS)

About

The Marches Energy Grant (MEG) offers free advice, energy assessments and grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to SMEs from all sectors in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. The funding is also available to support community buildings. As well as the grant funding, the project will also run related networking and webinar events for SMEs and other organisations.

The MEG project builds on the success of previous programmes such as the Marches Renewable Energy (MarRE) fund and the Business Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) grant scheme. It is intended that the MEG project complements the Cool Shropshire & Telford platform and Herefordshire’s 30 for 2030. 

Assessments are for SMEs who wish to use their energy more efficiently, reducing costs and improving environmental credentials. Grants worth up to £20,000 are available for eligible businesses. Up to £100,000 in match funded grant is also available to eligible businesses implementing eligible energy efficiency measures through the pilot Business Energy Advice Service fund (this excludes renewable energy projects).

To be eligible for the programme you must be:

• Operating within the Marches and have a Marches business address;
• For 7+hrs site assessments, a minimum annual energy spend of £5,000 applies

And either:

•     An organisation responsible for a community building

Or

• A small/medium size enterprise including limited businesses (SME);
• A sole trader or partnership;
• Trading over 12 months;
• Below the Subsidy Control threshold of £315,000 over the previous 3 years, including the value of the support

Sectors not eligible for support include:

• Primary agriculture
• Schools
• Public sector funded organisations (except parish or town councils)

How will it work?

Step 1: A free assessment offering to assess your energy usage, equipment, premises, processes and performance to find opportunities for improvements in energy efficiency. The scale of the assessment will vary according to need. The assistance could range from 2hrs desktop advice for very simple proposals, through to a deep-dive, 35 hour assist for complex or large sites.

Step 2: Following the assessment, you will be sent a report containing recommended actions. You may then have the opportunity to apply for a grant for eligible projects worth up to £20,000 (renewables) or £100,000 (energy efficiency). The grant intervention rate is up to 40% and your business contribution is a minimum of 60% for the project. For example, if your project costs are £30,000, your contribution is £18,000 minimum and we provide £12,000 maximum.

Step 3: If your application is successful, we will require you to sign an agreement detailing the grant conditions. Once signed and returned you can carry out the approved activities.

Step 4: We will monitor your project to ensure that it is on track.

Projects Supported by Previous Schemes

The MEG replaces a number of previous EU funded schemes, which have helped to identify potential financial savings of £1.8M, install over 2MW of renewable energy generation, and saved around 4,500tonnes of CO2e emissions from the Marches region. These have seen a wide range of projects, including:

• Renewable energy systems, such as solar panels
• Lighting – including LED conversions, movement / light sensors
• Fast acting / roller doors
• Variable speed drives & compressors
• Electrification of plant & machinery
• Energy efficient equipment for process improvements
• Waste heat management systems
• Energy management system
• Heating (including heat pumps), insulation and double/triple glazing
• De-stratification fans
• Waste reduction and recycling measures

Please complete the contact form below and be sure to include your company name, and postcode, a contact number and a brief description of the project. If you have any questions on the MEG please contact [email protected].

How is this project funded?

The Marches Energy Grant is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the Pilot Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) and Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). UKSPF is individually managed by Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Councils.

The Pilot Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) offers free energy assessments and grant funding to implement energy efficiency measures to small and medium businesses in the West Midlands. The programme is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.