Businesses in Derby have been able to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions, thanks to a grant programme part-funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Royal Crown Derby, Hunters Furniture Store (pictured) and Smith of Derby are the latest businesses to benefit from grants awarded via the Derby and Derbyshire Energy Efficiency Project (D2EE). This project aims to help businesses in Derby and Derbyshire to reduce their energy consumption and associated costs, while also reducing their carbon footprint and developing low-carbon technologies and services.
The D2EE project is a collaboration between Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, the University of Derby and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). D2N2 is the LEP for the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire area and works with businesses, local authorities, skills and training providers and community and voluntary sector organisations to grow its areas economy, with the aim of creating 55,000 new jobs in ten years (2013-2023).
As part of this mission, D2N2 has a €250million allocation of European Structural Investment Funds. These are used for projects which help to reduce social exclusion through the European Social Fund, boost rural business growth through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and help Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire businesses become more competitive through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
It is the latter of these funds which is being used to part-fund the D2EE project. D2N2 is part-funding up to £4.6million ERDF to the project, which was recently announced as a winner at the 2018 East Midlands Energy Efficiency awards and is the only one of its kind in Derby and Derbyshire. The D2EE team’s work with local businesses has resulted in lower energy costs, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved working conditions for employees. So far, the project’s interventions will allow Derby and Derbyshire businesses to save at least 872 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Grants totalling £29,000 have been awarded to Royal Crown Derby, Smiths of Derby and Hunter’s furniture store. These will be used to installing energy-efficient LED lighting and controls. Since D2EE launched in February of last year (2017), 286 energy audits have been conducted and grants totalling £688,000 to 104 businesses across the city and county have been awarded.
It is estimated that the energy efficiency steps taken by businesses using the grant funding will save over £270,000 per year. The total investment in energy efficiency leveraged by D2EE totals £1,5 million to date. All businesses which are eligible for support receive a free energy audit, advisory report and up to 12 hours of free energy consultancy.
World-renowned clockmaker, Smith of Derby, has already installed solar panels to produce energy on-site, along with upgrading some lighting to LEDs. The D2EE grant covered 50% of the cost of upgrading lighting within the rest of the premises to LED, saving £5,300 and 42,655kWh of electricity per year.
Royal Crown Derby, fine bone china creators established in 1750, wanted to reduce their energy costs and following an audit and advice from the D2EE team, applied for a grant to upgrade lighting in one of their energy-intensive units to LED. This will save almost £5,000 and 43,000kWh of electricity per year.
Long established family run Hunters of Derby, a home furniture and interior retailer on Babington Lane, also successfully applied for a D2EE grant. They have upgraded all lighting within their premises to energy efficient LEDs, saving £11,222 and 114,628kWh of electricity per year.
The D2 Energy Efficiency (D2EE) project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
For more information on the D2EE project, visit https://www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/funding-services-and-support/d2ee/
For more information on D2N2’s European Funding allocation, and to see other projects which have been funded, visit http://d2n2ta.org/
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