Case Studies & Success Stories

Beaconside Sports & Fitness Ltd: Saving Cost & Boosting Green Credentials At A Glance Company: Beaconside Sports & Fitness Ltd Location: Stafford Activity: A Health and Fitness facility Support: Free Energy Assessment, Low Carbon Grant, and Green Loan Scheme Project: Installation of 35 kWh Solar PV Array Staffordshire Supplier: Project Better Energy Ltd Project Cost: £30,533 Loan: £30,533 Grant: £15,267 Savings – £ / yr: 6,631 Savings – kWh / yr: 33,907 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 7 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 4.6 Overview The all-in-one hub for health and fitness, Beaconside Sports & Fitness Ltd, was able to identify the opportunities and benefits installing a 35 kWh Solar PV Array would bring to their facility having...

A low-cost loan from Michelin Development is helping a North Staffordshire mobile device repair company create new jobs, as it expands into recycling obsolete IT. TMT First, based in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, is investing in state-of-the-art equipment and expanding its factory footprint after achieving a top-level accreditation, which will allow the company to dispose of technology from sensitive environments in the public and private sectors. Supported by Michelin Development’s low-cost loan scheme for businesses, the new venture will also create a more sustainable future for the company, with a battery storage facility, fuelled by solar panels, powering TMT First’s 42,000 square feet factory site, providing significant...

National Adventure Farm: LED Lighting Upgrade At A Glance Company: National Adventure Farm Location: East Staffordshire Activity: Events-based attraction for children and families Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Project: Installation of LED Lighting Staffordshire Supplier: SJD Electrical Contractors Ltd Project Cost: £10,700 Grant: £5,350 Savings – £ / yr: 5,341 Savings – kWh / yr: 26,436 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 5.95 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 2 A Great Return on Investment As an attraction for children and families, The National Adventure Farm have been keen to streamline their efficiency, and the Low Carbon Grant has been able to give them the momentum to complete the LED light fitting project...

Celebration Packaging Ltd: Celebrating Energy & Cost Savings with Solar PV At A Glance Company: Celebration Packaging Ltd Location: East Staffordshire Activity: Foodservice packaging suppliers Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Project: Installation of 33 kWh Solar PV Array Staffordshire Supplier: Kembla Ltd Project Cost: £28,319 Grant: £14,159 Savings – £ / yr: 6,829 Savings – kWh / yr: 28,319 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 6.40 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 4.1 Background Celebration Packaging Ltd, a long-established food packaging supplier in East Staffordshire, was seeking ways to reduce its energy bills and improve their environmental performance. Through the BEAS Green Solutions Programme, they received...

Churnet Valley Joinery Ltd: Compress Your Energy and Cost Expenditure At A Glance Company: Churnet Valley Joinery Ltd Location: East Staffordshire Activity: Manufacture of wooden windows, doors and cabinetry Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Recommendation: Installation of 6.4 kWh Solar PV Array and a Screw Compressor Staffordshire Supplier: UK Solar Services Ltd (Solar) Project Cost: £10,114 Grant: £5,057 Savings – £ / yr: 781 Savings – kWh / yr: 3,832 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 0.86 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 13 Energy & Cost Savings Churnet Valley Joinery Ltd, a specialist manufacturer of wooden windows, doors and cabinetry, sought to improve their energy efficiency and reduce long term operational...

Industrial Engineering & Installation Services Ltd: Super Savings with 3 Major Instalments At A Glance Company: Industrial Engineering & Installation Services Ltd Location: Stafford Activity: Designs, fabricates, and installs metal products for recycling, power generation, and water treatment Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Recommendation: Installation of a Lincoln Plasma, LED Lighting System, and a 55.2 kWh Solar PV Array Staffordshire Supplier: CE&PS Ltd (LED Lighting), and Solar Star Power Ltd (Solar) Project Cost: £88,044 Grant: £44,022 Savings – £ / yr: 22,383 Savings – kWh / yr: 86,470 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 19.39 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 3.9 Introduction Industrial Engineering &...

Whitlock & Lowe Ltd: Reduced Energy Use and Boosted Sustainability BEAS Grant: Solar “Installing solar panels not only decreases costs to the company helping with overall business expenses and future proofing some of the increase in energy bills, but it also helps reduce our overall carbon footprint as we push towards a greener and more efficient company.” - Jack Whitlock, Director At a Glance: Company: Whitlock & Lowe Ltd Location: South Staffordshire Activity: Creating quality buildings from conception to installation Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Recommendation: Installation of 427.7 Solar PV Array Staffordshire Supplier: Insolation Solar Ltd Project Cost: £129,336 Grant: £50,000 Savings – £ / yr: 33,203...

Project Fire Products Ltd: Integrated Energy, Cost, and Carbon Savings At A Glance Company: Project Fire Products Ltd Location: Stafford Activity: Specialist manufacturing facility, designing and producing fire protection solutions Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Recommendation: LED Lighting Staffordshire Supplier: Total Quality Electrics (TQE) Ltd Project Cost: £8,180 Grant: £4,090 Savings – £ / yr: 3,942 Savings – kWh / yr: 12,917 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 2.91 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 2 Overview Project Fire Products Ltd worked with the Green Solutions Programme to enhance energy efficiency, reduce operational costs, and accelerate their environmental ambitions. Through a free Energy Assessment...

Jackmark Engineering Ltd: Energy Improvements with a Rotary Screw Compressor BEAS Grant: Rotary Screw Compressor At A Glance Company: Jackmark Engineering Ltd Location: Stoke-on-Trent Activity: Manufacturers Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Recommendation: Installation of Rotary Screw Compressor Staffordshire Supplier: J. Ll Leach & Co. Ltd Project Cost: £4,547 Grant: £2,273 Savings – £ / yr: 2,375 Savings – kWh / yr: 8,735 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 1.97 Payback Period (without Grant) / yr: 2 Their chosen recommendations With a drive to become more efficient with energy and money, Stoke-on-Trent automotive manufacturers Jackmark Engineering Ltd, a specialist manufacturer supplying the automotive and wider...

Angus MacKinnon Ltd: Driving Down Energy Costs Through Solar Investment BEAS Grant: Solar At A Glance Company: Angus MacKinnon Ltd Location: East Staffordshire Activity: A car dealership and car repair specialist Support: Free Energy Assessment, and Low Carbon Grant Recommendation: Installation of 74.76 Solar PV Array Staffordshire Supplier: Solar Star Power Ltd Project Cost: £42,740 Grant: £21,370 Savings – £ / yr: 12,320 Savings – kWh / yr: 42,505 Savings – CO2 tonnes / yr: 9.56 Payback Period (without Grant): 3.5 Overview Angus MacKinnon Ltd, a long established car dealership and car repair specialist in East Staffordshire, sought support to reduce rising energy costs and strengthen their environmental performance. Through the...

If you are ever wondering what benefits you might achieve with your grant here are some of the benefits and savings previous businesses have had. We will have a look at what they implemented and the estimated savings they have managed to achieve with this.

sben members CiiLOCK Engineering are excited to announce that their innovative Naked Roller has received recognition from the Australian Glass and Window Association by way of two Award wins in the AGWA 2025 Design Awards. In the category of “Most Innovative Component”, the Naked Roller won the Victoria State round of the Design Awards, then went on to claim the Highly Commended Award in the National finals. The Naked Roller builds on the trusted performance of CiiLOCKs renowned “Mother of all Rollers” sliding door roller range, while pushing innovation even further.Full article

Exciting news for sben member Nurture CIC! They’ve recently secured two incredible grants from The National Lottery Community Fund and TopCashback UK, helping to bring their inspiring Places of Happiness initiative to life. This project includes creating a beautiful Sanctuary Garden and adding imaginative art installations along their Woodmeadow Walk. That’s not all—volunteer numbers are on the rise, they’ve launched a brand-new Nurture Shop, and showcased their work at Keele University. You can read more of Florence Mobsy's LinkedIn post here.

Cllr Martin Murray joined Adam Whitehouse sben chair to present the award to Vikki Brooks. Vikki Brooks Values-Led VAs is the winner of our contribution to sben award, congratulations @VikkiBrooks well deserved! You can read more about the award and Vikki's journey in the Express & Star. We are also thrilled to announce that @Adam Whitehouse TMT First was voted in as Chair, @Chris Wheeler of Auditel as Vice Chair, and Peter Ulleri - 2050 Logistics, Julian Read – Keele University, Adrian Cooper – EVC Solutions & Nigel Ryan – EVC Solutions onto the management team, thank you all!

Summary: The Tawny Hotel have secured £43.5k in grant funding towards installing solar panels from Staffordshire County Council and the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS), this will save them money and improve their energy security. Read more… The Tawny Hotel, a luxurious hotel located in a particularly beautiful part of Staffordshire’s Churnet Valley, have now been successful in securing a £43,538 grant towards installing Solar Panels and cutting energy bills. Earlier this year, The Tawny Hotel spotted an opportunity for a free independent assessment of their energy use and decided to take action by applying to the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS), run by the Staffordshire County Council. Having expressed their interest in...

Grace Cares are so proud to share that they have been named winner of the ESG Leader Award at the Social Care Leadership Awards, held at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square on Tuesday 21st October. You can see more of this post on LinkedIn.

It was a privilege to attend Staffordshire County Council's 'Supporting Care Leavers into Employment' Recognition and Awards event on Wednesday evening on behalf of our new CIC Reboot IT For All. I met some incredible people and businesses from across Staffordshire who are all committed to and deeply passionate about helping care leavers transition into meaningful work. You can see more on this post on LinkedIn.

sben members Staffordshire Community Energy have won the Collaboration in Community Energy award at this year’s Community Energy Awards. The award was collected by SCE board members Mike Kinghan and Jason Howlett, together with Fiona Miller, Chief Executive, from Beat the Cold. The award recognises the strength of their partnership with University Hospitals of North Midlands and Beat the Cold, and the impact of directing community generated funds into the Keep Warm Keep Well scheme. Our thanks go to Community Energy England for championing and giving voice to the work of community energy groups across the UK. Congratulations to all groups recognised at last night's awards and to those delivering vital work in their local areas every day.

Congratulations Pro Enviro fabulous achievement 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 At Pro Enviro, we are immensely proud to announce a defining milestone in our company’s journey - achieving Certified B Corporation status. This prestigious accreditation recognises our adherence to internationally respected standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. More than just a badge of honour, this achievement represents the culmination of years of dedication to embedding our commitment to people and the planet at the very heart of our business.

A huge well done to the team at PLAY @ Lower Drayton Farm, who have achieved an incredible triple win at the 2025 Rural Awards in Shropshire! In just five years, this family-run destination has blossomed into a standout example of rural innovation and excellence, proudly taking home: Educational Initiative of the Year Farm Diversification Award Farm of the Year (the top honour!) This remarkable success showcases the imagination, commitment, and entrepreneurial drive flourishing in South Staffordshire. Read more in the Express & Star: https://bit.ly/3Jfzt1t