Businesses are the backbone of our economy and a vital part of the climate solution.

In terms of non-domestic & institutional building stock in Oxfordshire, the 18,400 premises represent 34% of our energy demand, using slightly more than all Oxfordshire homes.

Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including micro businesses, account for 96% of Oxfordshire’s businesses. They produce around half of all business-related emissions, as much of 36% of total UK carbon emissions, and roughly equivalent to the emissions from all our homes.

For the local area to meet its 2050 net zero targets, CAPZero states that by 2030, 20% of businesses need to be critically monitoring their energy demand and take action to reduce it.

Large businesses like Siemens, Estelle Manor and Polar Technology need to be leading the way, by actively managing their energy demand and acting as exemplars for smaller businesses to follow.

¹ This figure is updated from the published report.  A more accurate number of businesses in the project area was put together in year one of CAPZero implementation; this new figure is based on a mix of on-the-ground surveys, local resident knowledge, and using AI to cross-reference Companies House and postcode data. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

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Step 1: Gather information 

Measure, get inspired by others, find out what would be best for your business.

• An energy assessment from Energy Solutions Oxfordshire or similar can help you understand what would suit your business, how much they cost and what the payback looks like – e.g. is your premises good for solar? Or heat pumps?
• Get inspired by what others are doing and talk to your peers – check out our case studies and come to our events.
• Calculate your carbon footprint using this free and recently updated calculator from SME Climate Hub.
• Get great support from:
  • Enterprise Oxfordshire’s Net Zero Business Support
  • Oxfordshire Greentech, the business network for a green future

Step 2: Check your eligibility for financial support 

Did you know you can get solar at no cost to your business?

There is also funding currently available to organisations, including the Green Fund, offering up to £10,000 match-funding to SMEs. See the West Oxfordshire District Council website for full list of current funding in the area.

Green Fund

WODC finance and funding page

Step 3: Implement changes

Now for the fun bit – seeing your project come to life. The Energy Solutions Oxfordshire team can provide links to suppliers, support and other grants to get you started. Their report will let you know an estimate of how much money and carbon you can save.

Step 4: Be part of a bigger story 

Share your journey & inspire others to commit to make their business more sustainable. If you’ve made changes already, we want to hear from you.

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Stay in the loop.

There’s a wealth of business-focussed newsletters and information, all at your fingertips. Here’s a few of the most useful ones 👇

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