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wise ways to save cash

Would you throw bundles of £10 notes out with the rubbish, flush them down the drain, or burn them - or would you rather invest the money in your business?

Should you choose the latter, just as Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce has done, then your first call should be to the Business Environment Partnership (BEP) which will guide you how to do just that.

The not-for-profit organisation delivers the Envirowise Small Business Support Programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government, and offers up to five days free support to SMEs in all sectors, to make resource efficiencies.

Since 2008, BEP assisted more than 130 small businesses through free onsite support focusing on opportunities to reduce waste production, packaging, raw material and water use saving them almost £1 million 2,500 tonnes of waste, 39,100m3 of water and 2.92 million kWh of energy.

Experienced environmental business advisors provide detailed guidance on how to monitor and measure resource efficiency in your business.

They will also work with the companies to develop practical initiatives aimed at reducing waste and using resources more efficiently.

The advisors carry out a detailed onsite waste, water and energy review and offer specific cost saving recommendations. They also carry out a legal compliance review, provide a detailed written report and offer support to implement their recommendations.

These will lead to reduced running costs and environmental impact while improving business efficiency and increasing competitiveness.

Mark Weglarski of BEP said that in the past year there had been a marked increase in interest in achieving the savings BEP can make which can range from a few hundred to several thousand pounds a year.

“A year ago it was harder to get companies to engage – to take the time to get us in to identify the potential savings. Now we are getting busier and busier. There are certain services which are more successful during a recession and we are offering practical cost savings. If you have a family owned business and we can make £2000 or £3000 of savings a year for them then that is quite a chunk.

“We are getting an increasing number of referrals coming from the likes of the Chamber as their business advisers become aware of what we can do.”

If you are interested in support through the Envirowise Programme call Mark Weglarski or Thomas Bampatsis on 01382 205 070 and for further details about the BEP go to www.thebep.org.uk.

Case Study: Optima Solutions UK, Aberdeen

The Envirowise Small Business Support Programme identified a cost saving of £28,266 per year at Optima Solutions UK through improved resource efficiency and the installation of a water meter.

Optima Solutions UK is headquartered in Aberdeen and provides customised rig cooling solutions to protect offshore installations from the heat generated by the flare while testing. A site review was carried out by Envirowise in April 2009 to identify cost saving opportunities and provide practical recommendations to help reduce the business’ impact on the environment.

The review identified that by taking simple measures to divert 3.5 tonnes of recyclable waste such as paper and cardboard from landfill, the company would save up to £470 per year. Reducing and monitoring water consumption through measures such as installing a water meter and cistern volume reducers in the toilets would save more than £5,000 and 147m3 of water per year. Additional savings were identified as a result of installing energy efficient lighting, by installing occupancy sensors on the lighting, implementing a staff awareness campaign and switching their electricity tariff.