Free webinars help businesses to cut carbon and energy costs
- Tuesday, December 13, 2022
- Posted By The Growth Company
Businesses in Greater Manchester can now get expert advice on cutting their energy bills and their carbon emissions with a series of free, short webinars available to watch on demand.
SME support programme Skills for Growth’s four Cut Carbon, Cut Costs webinars aim to help businesses in the city-region prepare for the financial challenges and economic uncertainty ahead, especially with the Government’s Energy Bill Relief scheme for businesses ending in March 2023.
The Skills for Growth programme is delivered by two Bee Net Zero partners, the GC Business Growth Hub social enterprise and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Its aim is to help firms achieve their growth ambitions by plugging skills gaps and improving training and workforce development.
The webinars are led by the programme’s sustainability and net zero experts and provide firms with key market intelligence around energy efficiency, sustainability and climate change.
Organisations can find out how to switch to renewable energy or upgrade fleets to electric vehicles. Other sessions will look at how to engage employees and how to gain a competitive advantage by marketing your sustainability achievements.
A recent survey of businesses in Manchester found that 45% needed support to deliver on their environmental and 33% needed support to develop a plan to minimise their environmental impact.
GC Business Growth Hub is working throughout the winter to ensure that businesses have the support they need in the face of rising inflation and a predicted economic recession through its Here for Business: Cost of Doing Business campaign, providing a range of specialist support. The Here for Business: Cost of Doing Business campaign provides a range of specialist support to businesses.
Janine Richardson, programme manager at Skills for Growth said: “Like households, UK businesses are facing soaring energy costs this winter. Rising inflation is hitting all sectors of the economy, and at the same time, the impact of climate change is being felt across the globe. Solving these two challenges goes hand in hand - by taking a more sustainable approach to energy use we can alleviate some of the cost pressures facing businesses. Tackling these issues is a win-win for companies and the environment."
“Our free webinars this year will equip firms with the tools and knowledge needed to do this. It will help our SMEs in Greater Manchester to address some of the key challenges they face around energy costs and sustainability. And they will explore practical ways which firms can keep bills down by reducing their energy usage.
“Crucially, they will focus on ensuring SMEs have the right skills and expertise in place to thrive when it comes to sustainability and energy efficiency. And it will help them better tell their story, while avoiding the risks of so-called ‘greenwashing’.”
This session will explore the benefits of taking action and will provide an overview of the UK energy market.
This session will focus on energy consumption and look at practical renewable or zero-carbon energy supply options. Also on the agenda will be the practicalities and benefits of switching to electric vehicles.
This session will cover the workforce implications of company climate policies, including the strategy and resource implications of engaging employees.
This session will explore the sustainability conversation - with a focus on gaining a competitive advantage through improved marketing.
All sessions will be delivered by Carl Hirst and Bex Bowcock, sustainability and net zero advisors with The Growth Company. More sessions are planned for the New Year.
To sign up for the Cut Carbon, Cut Costs webinars, and for detailed agendas on each session, visit: http://bit.ly/3ge0yU1
Bee Net Zero offers free, impartial advice to businesses in Greater Manchester at all stages of the net zero journey, from those just starting out to those with a clear plan. The partnership can support with setting net zero targets, employee engagement, energy efficiency, the switch to EVs and more.
Investing in net zero and energy efficiency can reduce energy bills for businesses by up to 30% and could provide a lifeline for many during this energy crisis, especially with the UK Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses ending in March 2023.
To find out more about how the Bee Net Zero partnership can help you lower energy costs and your carbon footprint in this challenging economic period, contact our team.