Your net zero plan

You selected ‘Hospitality and Leisure’ and ‘East Midlands’
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Understand your business emissions
Get support
Actions you can take right now
Longer term actions
Indirect emissions
Share your progress

Understand your business emissions

1)What causes emissions

Direct carbon emissions produced by hospitality, leisure and tourism include:

energy use – electricity and gas for lighting, heating and office equipment
general waste – when it’s not recycled and ends up at landfill sites
transport – using petrol or diesel vehicles to get to work or deliver services

2) Calculate your emissions

Use a carbon calculator to work out your business’s carbon footprint. This is measured in tonnes, over a year.

3) Estimate the cost of your emissions

Once you have your carbon footprint, you can calculate how much your emissions are costing you. This will give you an idea of potential savings you can make by taking action.

4) Sign up to the SME climate commitment

Make a climate declaration to show customers you are committed to reducing emissions.

Get support

1) Support in your sector

You can get guidance on energy, water, waste and supply chain reductions from the UK Hospitality Association. You must pay an annual fee.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) works with members to develop sustainability strategies and initiatives.

You can also learn how to run your business in a more environmentally friendly way by hiring a sustainability consultant

2) Support in your region

The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the East Midlands:

Business Growth Grant gives SMEs matching grants of £2,000 to £25,000 for new products or services, premises upgrades and new equipment – must be located in Leicestershire
Choose How You Move gives SMEs up to £5,000 in matching funds to increase sustainable travel for employees – must be located in Leicestershire
DE-Carbonise gives SMEs £1,000 to £20,000 in matching funds to develop renewable energy generation and lower carbon products – must be located in Derbyshire
Energy for Business gives up to £8,000 in matching funds for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions – must be located in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire
Electric Van Experience gives SMEs a free electric van for 30 days, including the install of a charger at your business – must be located in Nottingham city
Green BELLE gives SMEs £1,000 to £10,000 in matching funds for energy efficiency upgrades – must be located in Leicestershire
Green Entrepreneurs Programme has a small grants from £10,000 to £20,000 and a large grant that starts at £100,000 – must be located in Derbyshire County
Low Carbon Workspaces gives SMEs matching grants of £1,000 to £5,000 for premises improvements that reduce emissions – must be located in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Milton Keynes or Northamptonshire
University of Derby’s Invest to Grow programme gives grants and loans from £15,000 to £250,000 to B2B companies in the East Midlands that create jobs in different sectors, including low carbon
Workplace Travel Service Grants give SMEs up to £25,000 for travel improvements such as electric vehicle chargers, showers and bicycle parking – must be located in Nottingham city

Actions you can take right now

1) Use less energy at your workplace

Quick, low-cost measures include:

lighting – use LED bulbs for greater efficiency
heating – put your thermostat on a timer and seal your windows for extra insulation
boilers and water tanks – insulating them and servicing them twice a year can help you save up to 5% on annual energy bills
office equipment – try to turn off and unplug devices when they’re not being used

2) Do an energy walk-round

Walk around your buildings and see where energy is being used:

Prepare a checklist. Look at lighting, heating, ventilation and refrigeration.
Identify wasteful energy use and maintenance issues.
Check at different times of day and compare day and night time use.
Monitor over a period of a week for accurate average figures.
Make sure equipment is checked and cleaned regularly to ensure maximum efficiency.

3) Change your energy tariff

Switch to a green energy tariff with your energy supplier. This will reduce your reliance on energy produced by fossil fuels.

4) Switch to a smart meter

This will allow you to see and control how much energy you use. Find out how.

5) Manage your waste

Recycle waste to prevent it being taken to landfill sites where it takes longer to break down and causes more emissions.

Longer term actions

1) Making changes to your workplace

If you are the legal owner, there are a number of long-term measures you can take to improve energy efficiency.

Check planning permission guidelines before you go ahead with any structural changes to the property.

Improving insulation and windows

You can make long-term savings on energy bills by insulating your workplace and replacing old windows.

Installing renewables

You can also make significant long-term savings by installing renewable sources of energy.

For example:

heat pumps for heating and water
solar panels or a wind turbine for electricity

Get training in energy efficiency

You can train your team to be aware of energy efficiency in the workplace. Find a course

2) Reducing transport emissions

Over a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions are caused by transport. You can take measures to reduce the impact.

If you have employees you could introduce a cycle-to-work initiative or encourage them to take public transport.

Electric vehicles

If you use a work vehicle, you can save money on fuel by switching to an electric vehicle (EV). You would be exempt from road tax, congestion charges and parking fees in certain areas.

For easy overnight charging you could install EV chargers at your home or workplace. A government grant scheme covers up to £350 per charging point.

Learn more about reducing the impact of transport

Indirect emissions

To reduce indirect or ‘supply chain’ emissions you need to consider what happens before and after your business provides a service or makes a product.