Lord Mayor calls on firms to make use of £100m green fund
By The Lord Mayor of Bristol has urged businesses in the city to take advantage of a £100million fund to save energy bills and cut carbon emissions.
Firms are being offered interest-free loans of up to £500,000 through the Carbon Trust Big Business Refit initiative to help small- and medium-sized businesses replace old and inefficient equipment.
The scheme was launched nationally in September and has attracted strong interest. Loans are available to companies that employ fewer than 250 people or that have an annual energy spend of less than £500,000 a year. The money is repayable over a period of up to four years.
Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis, who is supporting the scheme, said at the launch: “I’m not your normal green campaigner. First and foremost I’m a businessman — I’m for practical incentives that help businesses survive, though. And interest-free loans of between £3,000 and £400,000 to replace businesses old machines — it’s what I call a no-brainer, an open goal.”
Sir Christopher Davies made his plea for Bristol businesses to take advantage of the offer at a car accident repair firm in Fishponds.
WBC Automotive has taken a loan of £98,000 to replace four standard paint spray booths with the latest energy efficient models. Besides saving the company £40,000 a year in energy costs, the new booths have helped WBC Automotive achieve approval for new work with the VW and Audi Group.
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