Sussex businesses are missing out on thousands of pounds of solar panels funding

Supported by the UK Government, the Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) programme has over £14.7 million from the European Regional Development Fund to offer small and medium size businesses (SMEs). The £1-10,000 “green project” grants.

These ‘green projects’ include solar panel installation which can significantly reduce energy costs for SMEs who have been hit particularly hard by sky-high energy prices.

LoCASE has helped a total of 1,278 SMEs across the South East and more businesses could benefit before Spring 2023 when the programme finishes.

Eastbourne-based GT Factors is a leading manufacturer of load restraint equipment and the operation has seen energy bills triple in the last twelve months. The company recently received a grant from LoCASE and installed 84kW of solar panels in December, to keep operations running at a fraction of the cost.

Local renewable energy company, OHM Energy installed the solar system in less than eight days and GT Factors is forecasting a saving of approximately £10,000 per annum. The new system is generating up to 150kW a day with an electricity rate of 14.1p per kWh. With current electricity rates usually between 30-50p per kWh, GT Factor’s solar system will pay for itself within five years and this timeframe will shorten when their current tariff ends.

OHM Energy is helping local businesses like GT Factors make the most of grants to save money and reduce expenses. Jason Lindfield, MD and Founder of OHM Energy explains further.

“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.”

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