Hull Business Energy Efficiency story
We save small and medium enterprises (SMEs) energy and money.
SMEs in Hull are playing their part in reducing the UK's carbon emissions by getting involved in the Hull Business Energy Efficiency Scheme (HBEES). We're making the city a greener place by providing expertise and funding towards the cost of new heating, lighting, electric vehicle charging units and solar panels that minimise energy consumption, reduce carbon emissions and save businesses money in the process.
Our mission is to make smart energy systems accessible and affordable for small and medium enterprises in Hull. By offering up to £10,000 of funding, we give you the freedom to explore environmentally friendly solutions that could otherwise prove too expensive to purchase.
Any business with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover of less than €50 million and a balance sheet of less than €43 million that pays business rates to Hull City Council is eligible to apply for HBEES funding. Our scheme is an ambitious one, as its core aim is to support Hull in becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2030, a full twenty years before the national target.
HBEES supports all kinds of businesses by making it possible for them to replace old heating and lighting units and also invest in sustainable energy systems. We recently awarded Kingston Theatre Hotel with a £7,384 grant toward the total cost of £18,465 for upgrading their heating system. Gary Osborne at Kingston Theatre Hotel said:
"We contacted HBEES to help us understand our environmental impacts and what could be done to reduce our carbon footprint. An energy efficiency audit identified that by replacing our gas boiler we could reduce our annual gas costs by approximately £1,100 and reduce annual carbon emissions by almost 6 tonnes. We replaced our 30-year-old boiler and awarded 40% towards the costs. From start to finish the application process was simple and easy to understand, the support and advice from Hull City Council has been first class."
Our energy experts also worked with Lightowler, a commercial cleaning contractor who chose to install electric vehicle charging points for their fleet, enabling them to switch from diesel vans, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 65 tonnes a year.
Our city is constantly changing and property developer Allenby Commercial is playing a leading role in breathing new life into tired old buildings. They used HBEES funding to invest in a sophisticated solar PV system, allowing the business to produce its own clean energy and reduce their carbon emissions by almost 11 tonnes per annum. "With the help of HBEES, we will shortly have a 35.8 kw system fitted by East Riding Energy. This will allow us to run our new warehouse space completely self-sufficiently.
Useful learnings from Hull Business Energy Efficiency
Businesses that may not have been originally driven by decarbonising their activity have found that doing so often brings financial benefits to the business.
Given the much-publicised increase in energy costs, our advice would be for all Hull SMEs to contact the HBEES programme to see how they could reduce their energy consumption as this will save them money and reduce carbon emissions.
Hull Business Energy Efficiency metrics
Energy audits and associated cost savings for businesses.
Potential reduction in carbon emissions.
Number of SMEs supported.
