Finance, advice and training courses
What support is available?
Auditel
Based in Suffolk, Auditel deliver our Suffolk Chamber Utilities membership benefit, and are independent Cost, Procurement and Carbon Solutions specialists. Using their vast experience and procurement expertise, Auditel ensure any actions taken to improve an organisations environmental credentials have a strong and potentially self-funding business case. This could provide Carbon Neutral verification within 12 months, to an internationally recognised standard. For more information click here.
- A Guide to your Net Zero Journey
- Becoming carbon neutral need not cost the earth
- How Does Carbon Capture Work
- How Effective is Carbon Offsetting Through Planting Trees
- How to avoid Greenwashing
- How to Become a Carbon Neutral Business
- How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint The Right Way With CFRs
- How to Invest in Carbon Credits
- Offsetting your Carbon Footprint and Emissions
- The CCC Releases Voluntary Carbon Markets and Offsetting Report
Carbon Charter Certification and Membership
The Carbon Charter provides support and recognition to small and medium sized businesses that commit to and adopt carbon reduction measures and sustainable business practices throughout Suffolk and Norfolk.
SaveMoneyCutCarbon help businesses and now homeowners take practical steps to be more sustainable, cutting energy & water bills, resulting in reduced carbon emissions.
From the boardroom to every room in your home, they can provide everything you need, in one place – saving you time and money.
West Suffolk College Sustainability Centre
The Sustainability Centre at West Suffolk College is part of our Higher PLACE Programme part-funded by the European Social Fund. The Centre offers a range of courses for both students and professionals, and works with businesses to support them to implement sustainability throughout their operations.
Net Zero Carbon Toolkit – housing
Suffolk’s local authorities have a shared and collective ambition to work towards the aspiration of a carbon neutral Suffolk by 2030 and a key Theme of our Climate Emergency Plan is the delivery of sustainable homes, both new housing and through the retrofit of existing homes.
The SME Climate Hub is here to help small businesses deliver on their climate goals.
The SME Climate Hub has developed free, practical resources specifically tailored to support SMEs on their net zero journey through strategic emission reductions and opportunities for climate leadership. Businesses can calculate their emissions with the Business Carbon Calculator, learn how to take action with the Climate Fit education course and access support through the Financial Support guide and 1.5°C Business Playbook.
Planting is a great way to help sequester carbon emissions. Through the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and wood. By ensuring that the trees planted are native broadleaf species you can help to have a direct impact on your community and help preserve the UK's environment and biodiversity. Planting takes place in school locations and other biodiversity sites. All trees are high-quality cell-grown 'whips' (year-old saplings).
Climate Change Awareness Course
Access a free climate change awareness course to improve your understanding of environmental issues facing communities in Suffolk and beyond.
All councils in Suffolk have acknowledged the climate emergency and have been working together on county-wide climate change initiatives since 2007 through the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership, working towards the aspiration of making the county of Suffolk carbon neutral by 2030.
As part of this work, the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership has launched an ‘Introduction to Climate Change Awareness Course’ to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change in Suffolk and beyond. Funded by Suffolk County Council, it forms part of the wider collaborative action on climate change in Suffolk.
The free and easy-to-access online course is suitable for businesses looking to offer climate change awareness training to staff and is also open to others interested in being introduced to the subject.
The course takes approximately 40 minutes to complete
Mike Russell of MKR Solutions Ltd and Andy Skinner of AMS Consultants Ltd have been working together for some time delivering Lean 6 Sigma skills and services to SMEs across the region.
Using this methodology, we have now developed a programme help SME’s and Micro businesses to start their journey on the road to Net Zero and understand their process waste.
We understand setting Net Zero goals does not necessarily mean high-cost tech solutions and by using our proven approach, businesses focus on their efficiency and productivity questioning the very need for the energy they use and the way they deliver their products and services.
Ours is a low-cost starting point that not only creates the pathway to Net Zero but also drives a more sustainable culture and a more profitable business.
For more information contact us for a half hour assessment of your suitability using the following link to book your call: (please Quote SUFFCHAMB10 for a 10% discount on the initial review and action plan normal price £495, should you wish to proceed).
For more information about the service and to book a suitability call visit:
https://www.mkrsolutionsltd.co.uk/carbon-expert-partnership or contact at: Continuous Improvement | AMS Business Consultants | Rushmere Saint Andrew
Machinery - Energy saving and improving reliability
While businesses are facing soaring overheads costs, it has never been more important to make sure your process is reliable and running efficiently. When I start working with a business to achieve those goals, I always start with the following 6 steps:
1. Don’t overload machinery, while it may be tempting to push machinery passed its upper limits of performance, it’s worth knowing this will certainly have an impact on power consumption and will shorten the life-cycle of the machines reliability long term.
2. Lubrication, whether you follow the manufacturers servicing schedules or, like some of my customers prefer to use a bespoke preventative maintenance plan, it’s important to use the correct type of grease for all components. A good example to keep in mind is “The cost of oil is much cheaper than the cost of a gearbox”!
3. Conveyor belts are a common offender for unplanned downtime. They are prone to splits, tears and holes so should be checked regularly. The tension of these belts is also critical. If the tension too tight the motor will use more power to run the belt, too loose and it may slip and over speed.
4. Use power components to peak performance, motors, engines and pumps are designed to be most efficient at maximum continuous load. Idling, speeding, underutilising or over loading will quickly lead to inefficiency and breakdowns.
5. Last one out turns it off, it’s so simple but maybe that’s why it’s so often overlooked. Turning off all machinery and lights at source is an immediate every saving action.
6. Get to know your equipment, machines all have their own quirks! By understanding your equipment and how it performs best you can really push boundaries and you will see it in the output data.
With all my customers these are tips help me build the foundation for process improvement and project management. From the manufacturing to recycling, the same rules applied have led to my customers success.
If your business is experiencing unnecessary downtime, I will work with you to improve the reliability of your machinery. I can support in composing maintenance schedules, compiling and translating data, plan and manage projects.
Roy Cribb
Reliability Consultant, Project Manager.
What grants are available?
Road to Net Zero grants
Please note: Interest in these grants has been high and applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis by the panel.
Road to Net Zero grants will support Norfolk and Suffolk businesses to access grants from £1,000 to £25,000 for projects that will deliver carbon saving reductions.
BEE Anglia grant funding
BEE Anglia also offers a pot of grant funding to support participating businesses to implement energy efficiency measures.
Green funding for your business
Almost £5 billion of funding is available to help the UK businesses become greener as part of the government’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This page outlines some of the funding available.
Green Suffolk Fund