Free support for Surrey small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to decarbonise their business is now available from Surrey County Council.
Companies with fewer than 250 employees can sign up for the support. It’s only available to those based in the boroughs of Woking, Guildford, Waverley, Reigate and Banstead, Spelthorne and Surrey Heath.
Find out how to cut your energy costs, calculate your carbon footprint and get your business to Net Zero. You could even access a loan to go green!
Scroll down to see the free support which your Surrey business could access.
Or you can get in touch with our business experts, who can provide free bespoke advice for your business.
Free business decarbonisation course
A free business decarbonisation course is now up and running for eligible Surrey businesses.
The course will:
- introduce a bit of business context relating to climate change and carbon literacy,
- help you understand where your business’ emissions lay,
- enable you to calculate your business carbon footprint;
- help you become more sustainable, reduce your energy costs and cut your carbon footprint
- help you define your business path to Net Zero, set targets and leverage your efforts to make your business more competitive and your products and services more desirable
- empower you to adapt and build resilience to address climate change
Courses are available in person and online.
The in-person courses are:
- Thursday 17 October 2024 at Guildford Borough Council
- Thursday 7 November 2024 at Spelthorne Business Hub
- Wednesday 13 November 2024 at Surrey Heath Borough Council
- Wednesday 27 November at Waverley Borough Council
- Wednesday 22 January 2025 in Reigate and Banstead at Surrey County Council headquarters
- Thursday 13 February 2025 in Woking
On demand online courses will be made available from late October.
To book your space visit the Surrey County Council website.
Free carbon calculator tool
Ever wondered how much carbon your Surrey business uses?
As part of the decarbonisation course, you can find out! You’ll be given a one year licence to access and use the Climate Essential carbon calculator tool.
This will enable you to calculate your base line carbon footprint. Plus, you can see where you can make adjustments and gains to further reduce it.
Free business decarbonisation assessment
Theย free business decarbonisation assessmentย helps small and medium businesses in six Surrey boroughs to decarbonise and save on energy.
The online meeting is a virtual walk around premises, looking at energy use, transport, and supply chain.
A personalised report identifies opportunities for energy saving and projects which may be eligible for a business decarbonisation loan.
You can then decide if you wish to apply for a business decarbonisation loan to complete any or all of your decarbonisation projects.
There is no obligation to progress any of the potential projects to a loan application.
Business decarbonisation loan
The business decarbonisation loan programme has been created to help business and organisations decarbonise.
It will also allow you to invest to cut your energy bills, improve your premises and be more efficient.
Loans range from ยฃ5,000 to ยฃ15,000. It can can cover up to 50% of the total project cost. You will need to fund the rest.
Projects could include lighting and heating upgrades, installing solar panels, replacing old energy hungry equipment and switching to electric vehicles.
The loan is only available to businesses who have had aย free business decarbonisation assessment.