Our summer webinar, ‘Sustainable Solutions to Power Savings’, explored practical ways for businesses to manage energy costs, meet compliance requirements and unlock funding for sustainability projects.
Here are the five of the webinar’s key insights.
Understand your energy baseline
Before you can cut costs, you need to know exactly how much energy you use and where it’s going. This means:
- Analysing Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct energy use like electricity, gas, company vehicles).
- Including Scope 3 emissions (supply chain, waste, water, staff commuting).
- Using energy surveys and monitoring tools (M&T systems) to spot inefficiencies and waste.
Quick wins first, then bigger investments
Start with low-cost, high-impact actions such as:
- Behavioural change (switching off idle equipment).
- LED lighting upgrades.
- Maintenance alerts for abnormal energy spikes.
From there, move on to process optimisation and capital-intensive upgrades like replacing chillers or installing variable speed drives.
Helen Barnet-Watson
Head of Sustainability
“The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use.”
Leverage government exemption schemes
UK manufacturers can significantly cut their energy bills through:
- EII Schemes – up to 100% discount on renewable taxes and 60% off transmission/distribution charges.
- Climate Change Agreements (CCA) – up to 5% savings on total energy costs for meeting reduction targets.
- MinMet Scheme – up to 100% discount on taxable commodities for qualifying industries.
These savings can be reinvested into renewables such as solar, accelerating payback periods.
Plan early for ESOS phase 4
The next compliance deadline is 5 December 2027, but a progress report on your Phase 3 action plan is due in December 2025. Companies must report:
- What measures they’ve implemented
- The resulting energy and carbon savings
- Reasons for any delays
Avoid the last-minute rush! Conduct surveys in early 2026 to allow for budgeting and implementation.
Watch out for new funding opportunities
The British Industrial Supercharger Scheme is expanding discounts for energy-intensive users from 2027, potentially benefiting 7,000 businesses.
Other opportunities include:
- Enhanced capital allowances for qualifying technologies.
- SME climate hubs offering advice and grants.
- Local and sector-specific funding for heat recovery, AI-driven energy monitoring and more.
How can we help?
Reducing your energy baseline not only saves money, it makes compliance easier, unlocks funding and creates a long-term sustainability advantage.
We can guide you through energy surveys, scheme applications and funding opportunities to help your business meet both financial and environmental goals.
Fill out the form below to watch the webinar in full.
Webinar On-Demand Form
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