News and Blogs

Read our articles on energy efficiency and reducing energy use in the workplace.

How to find financial support for energy efficiency upgrades

Please note: If you decide to apply to a funder for a grant or loan always check with the specific website regularly for any changes to criteria, deadlines or for any additional advice or information that has been posted. This page was last updated in February 2023. Embarking on an energy efficiency project can be costly,…

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Energy Efficiency Quick Tips for GP Practices

Understanding your heating controls Heating controls are essential for achieving energy efficiency in buildings. By understanding how these controls work, you can avoid wasting energy in unoccupied spaces or having competing heating and cooling running at the same time. Manuals for heating controls can be found on a manufacturer’s website. Ensure staff know which of…

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Support for businesses and organisations in Oxford City – Build Back Better (Ended December 2022)

This support offer has come to end as of December 2022. As energy prices skyrocket for businesses, we’ve gained new funding to support organisations in Oxford City. If you have a building in Oxford City and want fully funded energy efficiency support, you should get in touch. Our experienced team can provide energy assessments and…

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NatWest boss to co-chair new energy efficiency taskforce

The Government will today formally launch its new energy efficiency taskforce and name NatWest boss Alison Rose as its co-chair alongside energy security and net zero minister Lord Callanan. The task force will devise a plan to cut energy consumption by 15% by 2030 compared to 2021 levels across domestic and commercial buildings and industrial…

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Energy intensive industries given £12 million boost to cut emissions and costs

UK government announces further funding to help businesses clean up industrial processes and improve energy efficiency. You might also like…

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Fast-track £5.8bn of energy efficiency and clean heat funding, says think-tank

A new report from the think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), warns that the Government is “critically undermining” its own sustainability pledges by delaying financial support for clean heat and energy efficiency. The report also warns the Government is failing to get on track to deliver its commitment to £9.2bn of energy efficiency spending this…

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Energy Bills Discount Scheme Announced For Businesses

Government announces the end to price cap support for businesses and public sector organisations with a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme set to start from: 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024. The Energy Bills Discount Scheme will come in to replace the Energy Bills Relief Scheme which ran for 6 months. Support will be…

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Global energy efficiency progress is accelerating

Global investments in energy efficiency – such as building renovations, public transport and electric car infrastructure – reached USD 560 billion in 2022, an increase of 16% on 2021, according to the IEA’s latest market report, Energy Efficiency 2022. You might also like…

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The global energy crisis is driving a surge in heat pumps

The heating of most buildings around the world – such as homes, offices, schools and factories – still relies on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas. Heat pumps are a hyper-efficient and climate-friendly solution, which helps consumers save money on bills and enable countries to cut reliance on imported fossil fuels. This is according to the IEA…

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Low Carbon West Oxford Launches ‘Not-So-Super-Stores?’ Report

A local environmental and low carbon community group in West Oxford has launched a new scorecard and report on big businesses operating in the area. The report reviewed sixteen big retailers who all run branches in West Oxford, and considered the energy efficiency of their buildings alongside several other key indicators for sustainability. “We hope…

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More from our Sparks file

How to de-carbonise your organisation’s heating bills

Heating usually accounts for up to 50% of the energy use in a building, so it’s a significant area to consider when exploring energy efficiency improvements. In this webinar Moira Dorey and Michael Esvelt (both part of the Environmental Information Exchange team at Oxford Brookes University) explored different ways to de-carbonise heating within the premises…

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Understanding the energy usage of your organisation

A crucial step in the process of making energy efficiency improvements to a building is understanding your existing energy performance and use in order to identify improvements. Oxford Brookes’ Environmental Information Exchange team (one of our three project partners) are experts at undertaking energy assessments and audits, and in this webinar we were joined by…

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How energy efficiency cut bills & carbon emissions at Chapman Robinson & Moore’s office building

Chapman Robinson & Moore – Business type: accountancy firm– Building age: 1990s– Primary goal: to reduce the environmental impact of the building– Measures: replacing storage heaters with air source heat pumps, double glazing windows, draught-proofing, employee awareness. Chapman Robinson & Moore is an accountancy firm, located in a 1990s office building on a small business…

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Energy improvements are helping The Granite House become the first carbon-neutral stone shop

The Granite House – Business type: manufacturing– Building age: 1970s– Primary goal: to reduce the environmental impact of the business– Measures: LED lighting, absence detectors, installing radiant heaters in workshop, replacing front door. The Granite House is a stone shop specialising in granite, based in Bicester, where they rent a premises containing a workshop, office,…

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