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The support from the Development Bank has allowed us to achieve our first milestone on the journey as we continuously look for ways to build a greener future.

Jane Wallace-Jones, founder and CEO of Something Different

See how we supported Bargoed Farm on its journey to becoming a successful, sustainable company.

What is the Green Business Loan Scheme? 

We all have a responsibility to tackle climate change, and, with a volatile energy market, there's never been a better time to invest to save and make a positive change towards a greener future. 

As an experienced investor we understand the pressures businesses face and the competing priorities for resource and investment, especially when it comes to decarbonisation-focused action. Key barriers such as knowing where and how to invest, being time poor and having the necessary finance restricts businesses from taking positive action.  

The Green Business Loan Scheme works to directly address these common problems and provides Welsh businesses a package of support that helps reduce carbon emissions and allows businesses to save on future energy bills.

It combines:

  • Access to fully and part-funded consultancy support that helps businesses understand their own path to decarbonisation 
  • Discounted fixed interest rates on green business loans for energy efficiency measures and low carbon heat installations 
  • Patient capital, with upfront capital repayment holidays and a loan term linked to project payback 

Full details on the offer, including eligibility criteria, can be found in our Green Business Loan Scheme key information.  

 

Supporting your decarbonisation journey

Like many of us, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of information available on carbon reduction, net zero and how to begin. Or, you may already have ideas about where you can invest but need support to translate these into more defined plans, and understand the types of suppliers you should be looking to engage with.

To help, we're working in collaboration with Business Wales and Welsh Government to give access to expertise and funding for energy consultancy.

For your next step you could:

  • Contact a Business Wales Resource Efficiency Advisor who'll work with your business to identify potential actions and give you a business specific report, including next steps. This is fully funded.
  • Apply for grant support if your business needs are more complex, or you want to do a ‘deep dive’ review of the decarbonisation opportunities. The grant supports your choice of an accredited independent market expert to carry out a detailed energy audit. You can access a grant for up to 50% of the costs up to a maximum of £10,000 (£20,000 total costs). 

 

You may be well on your way with your decarbonisation plans, with a project ready to go but don't have funding in place. You can review your project against the eligibility criteria for the Green Business Loan Scheme and apply online.  

Typical projects that are eligible for funding through the Green Business Loan Scheme are:

  • Heating, ventilation and air conditioning – replacement, management, low carbon technology
  • Building fabric improvements – insulation, double glazing, LED lighting
  • Renewables – solar PV, ground/air/water source heat pumps
  • Key equipment improvement – monitoring & controls, replacement, low carbon technology
  • Water usage and waste reduction/improvements

This list isn't exhaustive, if you've got something in mind please contact our team to discuss it. 

 

 

 

To apply for Green Business Loan Scheme, limited companies, sole traders or partnerships must be based in Wales and trading for at least two years with at least one set of filed, annual accounts.

For a full list of eligibility criteria, including project carbon costs, see the Green Business Loan Scheme key information.

Support and guidance

Green Business Loan Scheme - key information 

Guide for businesses - how to access energy audit funding 

Guide for consultants - requirements for the Green Business Loans Fund 

We recognise the additional complexities of carbon reduction-based project funding, so we've created a handy guide to help get you up to speed:

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