Project: Low Carbon Grants
When: Jan 2021 – Jun 2023
Funded: £ 850,000+
The problem
The Lake District of 2050 will probably feel very different from today. As climate change takes hold, weather patterns will alter, and extreme events will become more common. The coastline will change, as will conditions for wildlife and people.
While technologies that reduce the carbon footprint of an organisation are now proven and readily-available, these can be require a significant financial input upfront, and it can be difficult for busy organisations to prioritise climate action over other demands.
What did we do
From January 2021 to June 2023, thanks to funding from the European Structural and Investment Fund, the Lake District Foundation ran a grant scheme that gave funding for projects that would reduce the carbon footprint of businesses and community groups. Projects in the Lake District and Cumbria that increased renewable energy generation or improved energy efficiency were eligible.
Our impact
We awarded grants to 80 projects across 58 organisations to the value of £851,350. This unlocked a further £719,020 of private investment and bolstered the local low carbon economy.
The organisations we supported included tourist attractions, self-catering accommodation, hotels and guest houses, art galleries and museums, building contractors, architects, printers and publishers, food producers and breweries, pubs and shops and even GP surgeries.
Projects included air source heat pumps, efficient appliances, insulation, LED lighting, electric vehicle charging, solar PV, and even small-scale hydro projects. An estimated 544.3 metric tons of CO2e will be saved each year because of these projects.
““The grant has enabled us to carry out much-needed improvement works which we otherwise may have had to postpone until later after the Covid-recovery period, and allowed us to plan other improvements which would have been much further down the line for us without funding.”
~ Low Carbon Grant recipient.
The grants resulted in a significant reduction in energy bills for many applicants and allowed small businesses and community groups to invest in low carbon projects at a time of financial uncertainty following Covid-19. The timing of the project was very welcomed by groups as energy prices were increasing during this time.
Over £1.5m invested in the local green economy
544 metric tonnes CO2e saved annually
58 organisations supported
Unexpected Outcomes
Because the application process required that organisations look at their overall carbon footprint before deciding where to start, his led to applicants becoming more “carbon literate” and more able to effectively identify where improvements could be made.
“Because of this scheme, we have looked carefully at the ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint across all sectors of the business”
Many businesses also reported improved comfort after completing their project;
“There is a noticeable visual difference in how the museum looks and feels in terms of how much light is getting in”
while others saw a marketing advantage:
“We will be planning to include an area on our website related to sustainability projects that we have initiated. We hope that the two projects we completed will encourage our customers, present and future, to think positively about our company and its products.”
The Lake District Foundation produced case studies of some of the projects and organisations reported that members of the public and visitors, and other organisations showed an interest in their project, hopefully leading to further action:
“This project has already proven to be a talking point and helps us promote the debate about how to improve old Cumbrian properties.”
Next Steps
And 97% of grant recipients had plans, or at least ideas, for additional projects they could do to make their businesses more sustainable.
Building on the success of this scheme, we have secured private investment from Booking.com for a similar grant scheme. To find out more about their scheme click here Booking.com Sustainable Grant Fund – Lake District Foundation, or to invest in projects like this visit: Climate Fund – Invest Lake District.