8 funding opportunities for low-carbon projects
We’ve brought together a list of 8 funding opportunities – including grants, match funding and competitions – which could help your business put in place low carbon projects.
1.Newcastle City Council Empty Properties funding
Newcastle City Council is offering grant funding that will bring empty properties back in to use on the high street, with a focus on the following areas:
- Chillingham Road
- Heaton Road
- Heaton Park Road
- Shields Road
- Part of Welbeck Road
Small businesses, sole traders, charities, community interest companies and arts and culture groups can apply for up to £25,000 for physical improvements to properties, including refurbishment and energy efficiency improvement costs.
2. Newcastle and Gateshead Vehicle Upgrade grants
Owners of taxis, vans, buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles could be eligible for funding to help replace or upgrade vehicles that don’t meet the Clean Air Zones emission requirements.
3. Business Energy Saving Team (BEST) grants
SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland can access free advice, energy efficiency audits and grant support from BEST.
4. Office for Zero Emission Vehicles – Workplace Charging Scheme
Grants are available to support businesses, charities and public sector organisations towards the cost of electric vehicle charge points.
Up to 75% of the cost of purchase and installation of charge points is available, capped at a maximum of:
- £350 per socket
- 40 sockets across all sites per applicant
5. EV Infrastructure Grant for Staff and Fleets
Small-to-medium-sized businesses can get grants to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure in their commercial car parks.
The grant covers up to 75% of the cost of installing the infrastructure needed for charge points to operate and for future charge points to be installed, as well as the cost of any charge points installed. There is a limit of £15,000 per grant and it is capped at:
- £350 per charge point socket installed
- £500 per parking space enabled with supporting infrastructure
6. Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Small businesses can claim up to £6,000 to install a heat pump or biomass boiler. One grant per property are available for:
- £5,000 towards an air source heat pump
- £6,000 towards a ground source heat pump (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops)
- £5,000 towards a biomass boiler
7. The Green New Deal Fund
This ground-breaking low carbon investment fund opened to applications on 30 November 2021, it will invest £18 million in low carbon infrastructure in the North of Tyne over the next four years, and can invest directly into SMEs to support business growth and innovation.
For every £4,525 invested, each project must save one tonne of carbon dioxide per annum, and energy efficiency projects must create a 10% reduction in energy costs. Projects awarded funding will also be encouraged to support local supply chains, helping to create new jobs in the sector.
8. Low Emission Vehicle Plug-In Grants
You can get a discount on the price of brand new low-emission vehicles through a grant the government gives to vehicle dealerships and manufacturers. Eligible vehicles include:
- Wheelchair accessible vehicles
- Motorcycles and mopeds
- Small and large vans
- Small and large trucks
- Taxis
You do not need to do anything if you want to buy one of these vehicles – the dealer will include the value of the grant in the vehicle’s price. The maximum grant available for cars is £2,500.
Need impartial advice on implementing net zero measures in your business? Our team of Growth Hub Connectors are here to help. Book an appointment here.
You can also find more net zero resources in our free, online toolkit here.