Sussex business saves £10,000 through solar scheme and urges others to follow

Supported by the UK Government, the Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) programme has more than £14.7 million from the European Regional Development Fund to offer small and medium size businesses (SMEs) ‘green project’ grants ranging from £1,000-£10,000. One of the scene ‘green projects’ is solar panel installation.

GT Factors, a manufacturer in Eastbourne, says it’s seen energy bills triple in the last 12 months. The company received a grant from LoCASE and Eastbourne-based OHM Energy installed solar panels for them in December. GT Factors is forecasting a saving of approximately £10,000 per annum. It’s also expected the solar system will pay for itself within five years.

OHM Energy founder Jason Lindfield said: “Many businesses seem to be either unaware they are eligible for grants like LoCASE or are put off by the application processes and bureaucracy that admittedly can be time-consuming. As a company, we have decided to invest significant time and energy into helping businesses across Sussex access grants and funding more easily to accelerate the journey to net zero.”

So far, LoCASE has helped a total of 1,278 SMEs across the South East.

As well as LoCASE funding, companies can also apply to the government’s Super Deduction Scheme. Under the scheme, businesses can deduct up to 130 per cent of the cost of installing a solar system from corporation tax. To be eligible solar panels must be installed before March 2023 and businesses claim it by including it in the annual tax return.

Find out more about applying for LoCASE funding here

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