Smarter working initiative aims to aid energy efficiency

AN initiative spearheaded by Coventry University Enterprises (CUE) is set to promote a new business support programme at ‘Sustainability Live’, the UK’s biggest energy, water and waste efficiency event.

West Midlands SMEs will be invited by CUE’s Smarter Working West Midlands (SWWM) team to take advantage of its European Regional Development Fund-backed programme which aims to help them cut costs, improve their energy efficiency and use waste in a more eco-friendly way.

Benefits of the new support programme include free building surveys to identify ways to cut energy costs, and – for companies with significant quantities of organic waste – a free process survey with recommendations on how best to manage the waste to save money.

The SWWM team has engaged the services of two specialist energy management companies – Stourbridge-based Briar Associates and the Organic Resource Agency in Great Malvern – to deliver this support, which will normally include two days of free assistance plus implementation advice.

The new programme will sit alongside a number of other business support initiatives in the SWWM portfolio, including support for organisations looking to change their work environment to improve productivity.

Smarter Working West Midlands will be exhibiting at the ‘Energy from Waste’ expo at the Sustainability Live event at the NEC in Birmingham from April 16-18.

Henry Jerwood, who manages the Smarter Working West Midlands project through Coventry University Enterprises, said: “Universities are playing an increasingly critical role in supporting businesses at a time when the global economy is fragile and pressures are mounting to demonstrate sustainable credentials.

“This initiative is all about engaging with small and medium enterprises in the West Midlands to help them improve their efficiency and productivity, and in turn boost the local economy.”