A popular Derbyshire farm shop, Croots is continuing its journey to becoming more environmentally friendly thanks to a grant from the DE-Carbonise Project, a part-funded programme supported by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership which helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Derby and Derbyshire to increase their sustainability.
Thanks to a £12,000 grant (covering 40% of the costs) the farm shop has replaced six open display fridges – some of which were originally installed when Croots opened in 2008 – with one open display cabinet fridge and three doored fridges that use the latest technology and are much more environmentally friendly.
The four new modern fridges will save an estimated 6.8 tonnes of carbon emissions per year – using less energy to operate, reducing the heat that’s emitted into the shop, and cutting the amount of air conditioning that’s needed in the store. They will also help Croots Farm Shop reduce its energy bills in the future.
The fridges are the latest in a string of initiatives introduced by the farm shop to reduce its impact on the environment. The measures have earned Croots a place as a finalist in the Environmental Heroes category of the DerbyshireLive Heroes Awards 2020.
Kay Croot, who runs the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, with husband Steve, said: “We pledged to make 2020 our most environmentally friendly year ever and as we start 2021, we’re firmly committed to continuing this journey to do what we can to reduce our impact on the environment.
“These new fridges use less energy and will help us to reduce our carbon emissions. They are also quieter, creating a more pleasant environment in the shop. We’re grateful to the DE-Carbonise project for supporting us as we look at all areas of the business to see how best we can become more sustainable.”
Improving energy efficiency for SMEs
A partnership between the University of Derby, Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council, the DE-Carbonise project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
DE-Carbonise is a three-year project that began in November 2019 and follows on from the successful D2 Energy Efficiency project. As well as energy saving advice, grants between £1,000 and £20,000 are available in Derby and Derbyshire to cover up to 40% of the total cost of works (ex VAT), depending on the carbon saving and applications have been high.
Tom Veitch from the DE-Carbonise team said: “We were very pleased to approve a grant from the DE-Carbonise project to help Croots Farm Shop buy new modern fridges which will help the company to reduce its carbon emissions and become more environmentally friendly.
“Croots chose the new fridges from the Energy Technology List (ETL) – a government list of energy efficient equipment – and these fridges will now play a part in helping the shop to cut its energy use and to operate in a more sustainable manner. We’d welcome enquiries from other local SMEs, especially in the city of Derby, that would like to find out more about how the DE-Carbonise project could help their business to become more environmentally friendly.”
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