South & Vale business decarbonisation support –  energy assessments worth a minimum of £1,500 consultancy advice are available at no cost for organisations based in South & Vale, delivered by Energy Solutions Oxfordshire (ESOx). SME businesses that sign up will get a site-specific building decarbonise plan and pointers to funding to action the recommendations. Deadline to apply is 13th December. See the ESOx website for full details.

Alongside this, South & Vale businesses without (and with) their own premises who are looking for support with developing a carbon reduction plan can access a new programme of webinars and 1:1 support, being delivered by ALP Synergy. Topics include the critical first 10 steps to net zero, completing your carbon calculation, how to develop a carbon reduction plan, and mobilising your plan into actions, and businesses can attend just one or as many sessions as they choose. Find out more.

West Oxfordshire District Council ran a similar programme of webinar support and has made available the presentations and resources on their carbon zero webpage for all businesses to access. The webinars which are in three sessions cover carbon literacy, carbon accounting and foot-printing, and how to develop a carbon reduction plan.  

Energy Solutions Oxfordshire (ESOx) – helps businesses stop wasting energy. Their Energy Efficiency Assessment identifies where you can be saving energy, cutting carbon emissions and saving on energy bills. The team guides you through the whole process and support you in finding funding to implement their recommended energy-saving measures. Organisations typically save 19% on energy bills when implementing their recommendations. They also have a free Energy Efficiency Checklist with lots of quick-win, energy-saving actions to help get you started.

OxLEP Business – fully funded 1:1 advice to help you understand net zero for your business, for your processes, supply chains and customers, as well as the benefits that action can bring. Complete the Business Support Tool as the first step to arrange to meet with an advisor.

Low Carbon Hub – provides businesses with the opportunity to host a community-owned solar PV array on their roof, at no cost to the business. Hosts get access to cleaner, cheaper electricity, cut their carbon emissions and help give back to the community as all of Low Carbon Hub’s surplus from the project goes toward funding more community-led climate action. Low Carbon Hub look after the installation, operation and maintenance of the project. Find out more.

Abingdon & Witney College Net Zero Skills Hub – offer a wide range of courses covering topics such as renewable energy systems, domestic retrofit, electric/hybrid vehicle maintenance and repairs and carbon and climate awareness, to help you gain new skills, or to upskill your staff. If you are an adult (19+) living or working in West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse or Cherwell, you may be eligible for one of 80 fully funded place on a range of green skills courses, aimed at upskilling local residents and businesses. Find out more. If you live or work in Oxford City, you may be eligible for one of 60 fully funded places, available through local training providers, including Abingdon & Witney College, Oxford Energy Academy and Activate Learning Find out more.

Community Action Plan for Zero-Carbon Energy (CAPZero) – a pilot project based in the Eynsham area of West Oxfordshire, that aims to demonstrate how at a Primary Substation Area level a zero-carbon energy system can be achieved before 2050. CAPZero will be the first local energy plan in the UK developed at a community level, by bringing together the whole community, including businesses, households, public and community buildings.

FutureFit Area Based Insetting (FABI) – a pilot project between Oxford City Council and the Low Carbon Hub that aims to explore the potential of localised ‘insetting’ as a way for large local organisations including businesses to offset their carbon emissions by helping funding retrofit projects in smaller and medium organisations, such as schools and community organisations.

Oxford Industrial Decarbonisation Project – aims to develop a strategic industry decarbonisation roadmap for Oxford, in line with the city’s net zero ambitions. Project continues until December 2024.

Taming the Carbon Monster – a short sustainability programme of 6 sessions held at Oxford Brookes University focused on helping Oxfordshire SMEs make progress towards net zero. Places for Oxford City-based organisations are subsidised by Oxford City Council. Register to receive details of the next course once released.