Terms and Conditions: Energy Efficiency Advice Project
The Energy Efficiency Advice Project (EEAP) is delivered by Staffordshire County Council and Green Lark Environmental Solutions. This project offers subsidised support to businesses in Staffordshire, excluding Stoke on Trent, to assist them with potential advice to reduce energy and costs. This project ends in March 2027, and places are limited therefore early registration is recommended and businesses will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
These terms and conditions relate solely to the energy assessment.
The EEAP has the following element:
Energy Assessment: The recipient business will not need to contribute any finance towards it, although the value of the subsidy will be notified to you.
What is a subsidy?
All elements of EEAP are provided as UK Government Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) subsidies, under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. For the full definition of “subsidy”, please see the Subsidy Control Act 2022. For the purposes of EEAP a subsidy is the financial assistance given, directly or indirectly, from public resources by a public authority. Under UK rules, “an enterprise cannot receive a subsidy if, on receipt of it, it will have received more than £315,000 during the current and preceding two financial years” (financial year being 1 April to 31 March). Both before and after receipt of a subsidy, you will be informed, in writing, of the amount of subsidy your business will/has received. This must be retained for three years and declared if asked for by any other subsidy awarding body.
See Chapter 7: Minimal Financial Assistance UK Subsidy Control Statutory Guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) November 2022
Who can receive support?
Businesses who can receive this support must meet the following criteria:
- Commercial Address: Businesses must operate from a registered commercial address and not a residential property. This must be from a premises in a Staffordshire, however, excludes premises in the Stoke-on-Trent area.
- Energy Bill Responsibility: Applicants must be responsible for paying their business energy bills for at least 12 months.
- Businesses must supply 12 months’ worth of energy bills.
- Energy Consumption: Businesses must use a minimum of 8,000 kWh of energy (electricity and/or gas/oil/LPG) annually.
- A smaller business or an SME Classification: Businesses must have fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover of less than £50 million, or a balance sheet total under £43 million.
- Subsidy & Schemes: Businesses must not have received over £315,000 in subsidies in the current and previous two financial years (financial year being 1 April to 31 March).
What is involved in an Energy Assessment?
The Energy Assessment will be carried out by Green Lark and may involve:
- A review of current energy consumption.
- A site visit.
- Recommendations to reduce energy use and save costs.
- Discussions throughout to understand your business needs, recommendations, and an action plan.
How do I apply for an Energy Assessment?
To apply for an Energy Assessment, you must:
- Complete and submit an application form, including uploading energy bills.
- Provide true and accurate business information regarding subsidies received in the current and previous two financial years (financial year being 1 April to 31 March).
- Agree to accept the Energy Efficiency Advice Project Terms & Conditions for an Energy Assessment.
- SCC may contact you to discuss your application and, when satisfied you meet all necessary criteria, will share your details with Green Lark, who will contact you to carry out the Energy Assessment.
Following confirmation that the Energy Assessment has been completed, you will receive notification of the amount of subsidy awarded.
How are your details used?
The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that controls how a person’s personal information is used.
You can access the Energy Efficiency Advice Project Privacy Policy via this link Privacy Policy: Energy Efficiency Advice Project – Staffordshire Business & Environment Network
