Phase 2 of Green BELLE is now open – offering grants from £1,000 to £10,000 to eligible SMEs in Leicester and Leicestershire towards the cost of energy efficiency measures.

To be placed on our waiting list, please submit a contact form.

Green BELLE supports Small or Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Leicester and Leicestershire to increase their energy efficiency, reduce their energy costs and lower their carbon emissions. Grants of £1,000 to £10,000 are available to support the installation of low carbon and energy efficient technologies in local SMEs.

If you are applying for a Green BELLE grant, your proposed measures should reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency.

Potential eligible measures:

• Energy efficient heating systems and controls, e.g. boiler replacements and heat pumps
• Low energy lighting replacements (LEDs) and controls
• Renewable energy systems – e.g. biomass, solar panels
• Innovative low carbon measures, such as heat recovery systems
• Replacement Energy Efficient Machinery – e.g. Air Compressors
• Insulation
• Building Energy Management Systems

This is not necessarily a full list, and the Green BELLE Grant Panel will consider other measures that can be shown to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Green BELLE can also support multiple energy efficiency measures, up to the maximum grant amount. Please also see the Potential Measures page.

Participating SMEs will receive a site visit, carried out by a dedicated Project Officer. The visit will be used to discuss the best energy efficiency options for their premises.

SMEs can apply for a grant of £1,000 to £10,000, at 50% of the total project cost. The remaining contribution is required as match funding from the SME.

Any additional cost above this grant maximum (i.e. above a total cost of £20,000) will also need to be paid for by the SME. Note that a minimum grant amount of £1,000 also applies, so the minimum total cost of the measures, with the SME's match funding, is £2,000.

Green BELLE is run by the Leicester City Council's Energy Projects Team. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Leicester City Council.

Green BELLE aims to:

• Support 293 businesses with a grant
• Achieve an annual decrease of greenhouse gas emissions of 2,439 tCO2e

Green BELLE (Green Business Energy in Leicester and Leicestershire) will be running for approximately three years and will finish in December 2022. However, funding is limited and is likely to be fully allocated well before this date.

Please note that all grant applications are subject to approval by the Green BELLE Grant Panel, and that Green BELLE is not able to provide grants towards measures that have already been purchased or installed, or where the installation has already been started.

We are also unable to provide grants to SMEs that have already received a Green BELLE grant previously.

For more information on eligibility, see Is your business eligible?

(Source: Green Belle)