Businesses to benefit from new energy and efficiency programme
Five councils have teamed up through a new programme to help firms in the North East region cut energy costs, reduce waste and boost performance.
The North East Resource Efficiency Programme (NEREP) will assist 40 small and medium sized businesses to implement efficiency measures across their operations and identify opportunities to adopt cost saving ‘clean and green’ approaches.
The programme is open to applications from firms in the Antrim, Ballymena, Larne, Moyle, or Newtownabbey council areas. It is led by Larne Borough Council and is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland, and the five councils.
NEREP will be delivered by three of Northern Ireland’s heavyweight renewable and sustainability consultancies the InnoTech Centre, B9 Solutions and Fathom Energy and Environment Ltd.
Dr John Harrison, Programme Manager at the InnoTech Centre, said the programme presented a real opportunity for local businesses to access practical support that can generate meaningful savings. “The high cost of energy is a concern for all businesses, but the impact on small and medium sized firms is arguably greater. Reducing these costs often brings other improvements to operations and additional benefits of lower waste and carbon emissions. Each business in this programme will receive a resource efficiency audit that gives a holistic overview of operational performance and identifies where new approaches can bring improvements.
“A range of technical and consultancy support will then be available on a project-by-project basis to address relevant issues and opportunities. This could range from smarter energy use and access to sustainable water sources through to packaging requirements, best-fit environmental or energy management systems and how to reduce waste disposal costs.”
Moira Loughran, Invest NI’s Eastern Regional Manager added: “Invest NI’s support for local economic development projects like North East Resource Efficiency Programme is part of our commitment to working with and supporting local councils right across Northern Ireland. The programme will help to support the business base in the North East area, providing practical advice and guidance on resource efficiency, leading to improves business competitive advantage.”
Launching the Programme, Councillor Maureen Morrow, Mayor of Larne, said: “It makes good business sense to get the most from resources and reduce or eliminate waste. We are delighted to support this business development initiative; its ambitious targets will help position local businesses to achieve sustained growth. I also thank our co-funders, the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme, Invest NI and the councils for their assistance in bringing this Programme to fruition.”
To receive further information on the North East Resource Efficiency Programme, including guidance on completing applications, please contact InnoTech Centre, South West College, Burn Road, Cookstown, Tel: .
The launch of this type scheme sounds great for any SME but please remember the fundamentals, My experience with a similar scheme was great I could save money with new boiler/solar panels and recycle my waste water, and they were experts in there field. But it would of saved me more if I simply insulated my factory.
How is it working