A business in Acton is slashing its electricity bills after being one of those to have benefited from energy advice and grants from the council

Co Work Hub offers shared office space in Victoria Road, North Acton, giving small businesses and entrepreneurs somewhere to work and meet, with desks, breakout areas, meeting rooms and even a gym.

The business was awarded a £5,000 grant to upgrade their lighting systems, as part of a new scheme introduced by Ealing Council. Its smart business grants are designed to help small and medium sized businesses in the borough to help become more energy efficient.

It all starts with a free survey designed to help identify ways to reduce the costs of things like heating and water.

Once a series of measures has been identified, a support package of up to 50% of costs may be made available, with the remainder match-funded by the business. The minimum grant awarded is £1,000 and the maximum £5,000.

Smart way to save money

A survey of the Co Work Hub identified savings worth up to £10,000 a year, including tips on waste, air conditioning and ways to improve its heating system. The biggest change was switching its lighting to more efficient LED bulbs, reducing the lighting bill by 80%. LEDs can last up to 10 times as long as traditional incandescent bulbs and the investment is expected to ‘pay back’ within a year.

Alex Molokwu (pictured above), owner of Co Work Hub, said: “The programme was extremely useful in helping us to cut our expensive electricity bill and achieve our green office vision. The support provided by Ealing Council has been invaluable and we applied for the full £5,000 grant towards lighting and heating system upgrades which will save us almost £10,000 every year.”

All types of small and medium sized businesses can apply and benefit from the smart business grant. So far, businesses as diverse as staircase manufacturers and fish and chip shops have successfully applied.

Council leader Julian Bell said: “By reducing their energy consumption businesses are not only reducing their costs, they’re reducing their impact on the environment. That’s good for their reputation and it’s good for our borough, making it cleaner and healthier place for us all to live and work.”

More information

Register an interest and find out more about the smart business grants by visiting
www.ealing.gov.uk/sbg or by emailing businessenergy@ealing.gov.uk