Business Energy Saving Team (BEST) was a project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which aimed to reduce energy use and costs in small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland and Sunderland.
In order to deliver this work, our client contracted Decerna.
Outline & Objectives
Decerna undertook energy audits of 216 SMEs, which ranged from small shops through to full industrial sites. Each audit provided core carbon/cost saving measures the SME could undertake, these covered a wide range of technologies, from basic energy efficiency measures, through to updating industrial equipment, updates to heating systems, and renewable energy systems.
Outcomes
The audits identified the following;
- £1.4m per year in cost SME energy cost savings identified (based upon 2019/20/21 energy tariffs)
- 2,703 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide equivalent savings identified
In order to ensure the project produced real savings, the project awarded £133,673 of ERDF funding to 32 grant applicants with a private sector match of £311,213. These interventions are expected to save 393 tonnes CO2e per year.
