Pubs, cafes and hotels across UK to get lower energy bills thanks to free advice

Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels across the UK will have lower thanks to free expert advice to help them reduce carbon emissions.

More than 600 small and medium sized hospitality businesses will receive energy and carbon reduction assessments in a new trial.

The scheme will support firms to make cost effective changes such as fixing insulation gaps, upgrading to low energy lighting or tweaking heating settings that will add up to significant savings over the year.

Businesses are expected to save more than £3million under the plan, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said. The government has pledged £350,000 to fund the hospitality trial, which will run from May to next March.

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It will be delivered by Zero Carbon Services, one of the UK’s leading net-zero advisers for the hospitality sector.

It is a boost for the ’s campaign to save our pubs. This newspaper is calling for the Government to back pubs with a fighting fund for hard-hit boozers and proper recognition for pubs that are the heart of our communities.

The campaign also demands more support for community groups who want to buy their local pub to stop it from closing. Prime Minister threw his weight behind our campaign in February.

Minister for Industry Sarah Jones said: “Pubs, restaurants and cafes are a cornerstone for communities across the country, with the hospitality sector employing millions of people and contributing billions to the economy.

“By providing business owners with expert advice to cut bills and reduce emissions, this will help them keep more money in their pockets to grow their business, employ local people and continue to serve your pint of lager or fish and chips.”

Zero Carbon Services chief executive Mark Chapman said: “Climate change is already impacting hospitality with extreme events reducing sales and increasing food supply costs.

“Combined with other cost increases, there has never been a more important time to both recover lost profits and take credible action on reducing carbon emissions, the key cause of climate change.”

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “Hospitality businesses have already made great strides to reduce their emissions but are keen to go further and faster in order to save costs and become more sustainable.”

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