Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of offering loans or a cashback scheme to SMEs to implement energy efficiency measures; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this on levels of (a) emissions, and (b) SME energy costs.

Several pilots are running to better understand how we can support SMEs to reduce energy demand, bills and carbon.

The Pilot Business Energy Advise Service, providing energy audits and grants in the West Midlands, could have annual saving of £24m in bills and 51,000 tonnes of carbon based on all recommendations being implemented.

The ZCS Hospitality Trial, will support c600 hospitality SMEs through online carbon and energy reduction tools, with potential to save over £3m in bills and 2,700 tonnes of carbon annually.

The British Business Bank’s pilot Green Growth Guarantee Scheme will facilitate up to £30m of investment in green tech for SMEs and help understand SME appetite for green finance.