An energy efficiency project for businesses run by a partnership of the University of Derby, and Derby City and Derbyshire County councils – and receiving investment from EU funding allocated to the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – has won a regional award for its efforts.
The D2 Energy Efficiency (or D2EE) Low Carbon project helps small and medium-sized businesses in Derby and Derbyshire become more energy efficient, through grants and expert guidance. It works with firms to lower their energy costs, reduce the amount of ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions they produce and improve employees’ working conditions.
Now Derby City and Derbyshire County councils have gone on to win at the 2018 East Midlands Regional Energy Efficiency Awards (pictured), held last Wednesday night (April 18), at the Radisson Blu Hotel at East Midlands Airport. D2EE came top in the category of ‘Regional Council or Local Authority Body of the Year’.
The £4.6million D2EE project is half-funded through European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding; which comes via the wider £250m in European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) allocated to the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.
D2N2 is the private sector-led partnership of business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary services providers which works to grow the economy, jobs and business start-ups across its area of Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
D2EE is also funded by the University of Derby, and Derby City and Derbyshire County councils, and businesses.
Since its launch in February 2017, the D2EE project team have:
- carried out 200 energy audits;
- awarded grants worth a total of £415,500 to 62 businesses, across Derby and Derbyshire.
It is estimated that the energy efficiency steps taken by businesses using the D2EE grants will save at least 1.7million kilowatt hours, reduce emissions by 663 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (a unit of measurement which quantifies the amount of carbon emissions saved), and save £160,000 in energy and associated costs.
The saving of 1.7million kilowatt hours is, in real terms, enough energy to power an estimated 107 average homes for around a year.
For more information about the D2EE project see web link www.derby.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/climate-change-and-energy-management/d2ee/
To see other businesses which were nominated, and those which won in other categories, visit web link http://energyefficiencyawards.co.uk/eastmidlands/index.php
The D2EE project has received funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding
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