by Jbs112808 i3 — December 1, 2008—The UK’s Carbon Trust has made available 31 million of loans to help UK businesses reduce their carbon footprint. Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) can take out interest-free loans of up to 200,000 to help them to buy the energy-saving equipment that can cut costs as well as help them to take action on climate change.
Hugh Jones, Solutions Director at the Carbon Trust, said, “We know that SMEs want to play their part in tackling climate change and reduce their energy costs at the same time, but the current economic climate is making it harder for small businesses to find sources of funding.
“Our loans of up to 200,000 will finance the ambitious projects we know SMEs want to invest in and significantly reduce both their carbon emissions and their energy bills, helping them reduce operational costs and become more competitive. This paves the way for companies to take on projects such as large lighting installations, boilers projects, or multiple equipment purchases such as variable speed drives with compressors and heat recovery equipment.”
The 31 million pot is nearly 10 million larger than the 21.5 million allocated in 2007-08. Loans allocated last year will reportedly reduce carbon emissions by over 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year and result in cost savings of nearly 9 million a year. To date, the Carbon Trust says it has helped business save around 17million tonnes of carbon dioxide, with associated financial savings of around 1 billion.
