Get Cycling CIC, situated in the York, are making strides towards net zero, following expert advice from Net Zero consultants, expecting to save 11.5 carbon tonnes and £23,070 annually.
The business, which specialises in the sale, rental and repair of inclusive cycles across the UK, took advantage of a fully-funded carbon reduction audit with one of Green Economy’s consultants, as part of a project with City of York Council (CYC).
Identifying sustainable improvements
Evie Stanford, Administration Assistant at Get Cycling, met with one of Green Economy’s Sustainability and Carbon advisors who came onsite to conduct a carbon reduction assessment to identify opportunities for the business to reduce energy consumption and save money on their bills.
Evie said:
“Having the Green Economy team visit our site was very useful. They took their time to properly assess the building and identify as many opportunities as they could for us to save on energy, seeing agreeable return on investment. This was in addition to some low and no-cost recommendations which we could adopt quickly into our day-to-day running of the business.”
In total Green Economy identified improvements that could save 55,865 kWh of energy, equating to £23,070 on energy bills and 11.5 carbon tonnes (tC02e) each year for the business.
Advice into action
Following the audit, the business has put in progress several of the recommendations. They have procured an installer to replace existing lighting with LEDs alternatives, brought in a plumber to fix their heat controls to better manage energy use, and will be installing draft exclusion to create dedicated heating areas.
As a non-profit organisation, cashflow was identified as a key barrier to pursuing low carbon and energy efficiency measures for Get Cycling.
One of the opportunities included replacing the doors at the front of the building with automatic alternatives to assist with airflow and temperature regulation for the building. These doors will be installed using National Lottery Funding which their Consultant signposted as a potential funding stream.
Evie said:
“Our advisor took into account our position as a non-profit organisation and made their recommendations in light of this. As such they could direct us to grants and finance streams that would make the investments more affordable. As such we’re looking for ways to install solar PV on our site in the near future.”
This project is delivered by Green Economy, part of the Growth Company, has been commissioned by CYC as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support local business growth.
Cllr Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy and Culture at City of York Council, said:
“It’s fantastic to see the investments we’ve made through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund making a real difference for York’s businesses.
“In our council plan, we committed to building a greener economy in York – but we know that for many businesses, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint.
“Thanks to the bespoke guidance they received from our partners at Green Economy, Get Cycling have been able to identify specific areas where they could be more energy-efficient and save money.”
York-based businesses can find out more information on the website or can register their interest here.
