Carbon Trust interest free loan scheme

The Carbon Trust is an independent company funded by the UK Government. Its role is to help the UK move to a low carbon economy by helping business and the public sector reduce carbon emissions now and capture the commercial opportunities of low carbon technologies.

One activity is the Interest Free Loan Scheme which supports Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to finance carbon saving projects.

A cosaf environments project can qualify because the energy consumed is normally only 15% of a refrigeration based system. The electricity savings results in significant carbon savings. It is normal to qualify for up to £5,000 of interest free loan per cooler based on a double shift operation.

The loan

• Unsecured, interest free loans from £5,000 to £100,000 to SMEs to fund carbon saving projects.
• Loan can cover the cost of equipment and installation.
• The loan can cover both new and replacement equipment.
• The maximum loan period is four years

Which companies are eligible?

The scheme is open to SMEs in:

• England
• Wales
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland (Open to all business in Northern Ireland up to a value of
  £400,000.00)

An SME is defined as:

• Fewer than 250 full time employee
• Less than £35 million turnover Or Less than £30 million assets
• Not owned by a larger organisation

Companies must have been trading for at least one year. Types of companies include

• Limited companies
• Charities
• Sole traders
• Partnerships
• Clubs
• Friendly Societies
• Voluntary Organisations

The scheme is open to all companies in Northern Ireland .

Which companies are not eligible?

Companies operating in agriculture, fisheries (including some parts of the food and drinks industry), transport (for funding of vehicles), or export-related activities are not eligible. The Carbon Trust Account Managers can give specific guidance on this.

What projects are eligible?

Project cost must be

• greater than £5,000
• less than £100,000

Projects must save

• 0.7 tonnes of Carbon per £1000 of loan
• at least £1,000 per year of energy

Application procedure

1. Check eligibility of customer by completing and submitting Eligibility Checklist.
2. Complete and submit the Application Form. CoSaf Environments provides detailed support in the calculation of the energy saving of an Breezair Evaporative cooling installation compared to conventional refrigeration based systems. The information required to complete this analysis is:

• Electricity costs per kWh - day and night rates
• Water cost per cubic meter
• Shift pattern of operation
• Location of project

1. The Carbon Trust will then forward this to a consultant who will review the application in detail.
2. The Carbon Trust then makes a formal loan offer to the customer - normally within 3 weeks of the application being submitted.
3. The customer then signs the loan offer .

Carbon Trust details

Web: www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/loans Helpline: 0800 585794

For detailed support contact either Cosaf environments or the regional Carbon Trust Supplier Account Managers:

Scotland, North England, down to South Yorks & NW Derbyshire

Ewan Addison 07802 465555 ewan.addison@carbontrust.co.uk

Wales, The Midlands, down to Gloucester and Norfolk

Mark Brewin 07802 465556 mark.brewin@carbontrust.co.uk

Home Counties, Northampton, Suffolk and everything South of this

David Puttick 07802 465557 david.puttick@carbontrust.co.uk

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