Can I still access support from Low Carbon Dorset?

Our technical officers, Matt and Erik, are still here and ready to share their advice on energy efficiency and renewable energy measures for your organisation.

From April 2023, this FREE energy advice will be available to businesses and community groups in the Dorset Council area thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Due to funding restrictions, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support public sector organisations or any organisations in the BCP Council area. If you are no longer eligible for our support, we hope you will find some of the links below useful.

Where else can I find support for my organisation? 

For the public sector:

• Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: commissioned by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Government Property Function to simplify the process of cutting carbon emissions and energy bills with simplicity, speed and scale.
• Salix: a non-departmental government-owned public body that administers funds to enable the public sector to reduce carbon emissions, including the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and Low Carbon Skills Fund.
• Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF): funding to enable social housing providers to install energy performance measures in social homes in England (applications currently closed).
• National Housing Federation: information for housing associations on decarbonising homes to tackle climate change and fuel poverty.
• National Retrofit Hub: a non-profit programme working with stakeholders across the retrofit sector.
• Support for Town and Parish Council’s in their response to the climate and ecological emergency from Dorset Council.
• South West Net Zero Hub: support for public sector and not-for-profit organisations to get green energy projects up and running.

For the business sector:

• Climate Essentials for Businesses in BCP: free access to an online carbon management system provided by BCP Council.
• BCP Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund: support for local businesses to decarbonise and improve the natural environment via BCP Council’s UKSPF allocation.
• BCP Council’s business support and advice
• Dorset Council’s business support and advice
• Dorset Green Skills Sustainability Training: free training from Skills & Learning Adult Community Education for staff and businesses to learn more about environmental protection.
• Dorset Chamber: advice and support on a range of business topics, including Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).
• SME Climate Hub: a non-profit global initiative that empowers small to medium sized companies to take climate action and build resilient businesses for the future.
• Zero Carbon Business: advice on energy saving for SMEs and how to make the most out of getting to net zero.
• Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans (LIDP): a funding competition from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero that will support clusters of industrial businesses to decarbonise.
• National Retrofit Hub: a non-profit programme working with stakeholders across the retrofit sector.
• Energy Efficiency for Businesses: a new resource from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

For the community sector:

• BCP Council’s support for voluntary groups and charities
• Dorset Council’s Support for voluntary and community organisations
• Community Action Network: a local infrastructure charity covering both the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset Council areas.
• Dorset Community Action: support for voluntary, community and social enterprise groups across Dorset.
• Community Energy England: a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping community energy organisations create and implement new projects
• South West Net Zero Hub: support for public sector and not-for-profit organisations to get green energy projects up and running.
• Climate Action Fund: a funding programme from the National Lottery Community Fund that includes a focus on Energy and Climate.

We also hope our Resources page will continue providing some helpful energy-saving ideas for business, community and public sector organisations.

What about grants for carbon reduction projects?

Grants have been available to help organisations deliver renewable energy and energy efficiency projects thanks to our previous EU funding. Work is still underway to secure a new grant pot to sit alongside our free technical advice, we will update this page and our socials as soon as we have news for you!

In the meantime, our technical officers’ recommendations can be very useful if you are applying for alternative sources of funding for your project.

Who should I contact if I have any questions?

Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more.

As the new UKSPF new funding kicks in and our technical officers are out visiting organisations, some of the team will still be working behind the scenes to meet the remaining requirements of our EU funding and share some of our low carbon learning from the past 5 years.