Grants to help Victorian small businesses operate sustainably

Victoria’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, has announced a $3 million grants program that will equip small to medium-sized businesses with the skills needed to cut energy costs, reduce greenhouse emissions and improve productivity.

The SV Business — Boosting Productivity program, delivered by Sustainability Victoria, will give businesses the chance to apply for up to $9000 to engage a consultant to assess their energy use and provide recommendations on how it can be reduced by upgrading to newer equipment or other measures.

A second program will provide grants for projects that build energy efficiency knowledge and skills in small and medium-sized businesses and/or their service providers. The program’s aim is to save $4.1 million in energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.4 kt each year.

“Assessments of more than 100 small to medium businesses since 2012 has shown energy use could be cut by more than 20% and delivered average savings of $50,000 a year,” said Sustainability Victoria Chief Executive Stan Krpan.

“With the support of these two funding programs, these costs can be significantly reduced to create better environmental outcomes, protect existing jobs, create new ones and improve business productivity.”

Pictured: Sustainability Victoria Chief Executive Stan Krpan.