Grants of up to £5,000 are being provided by Green Economy, on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to fund energy efficiency projects in the region The grants are available for a limited time and can be used to invest in heating equipment upgrades, replacement motors or drives, process efficiency investments and green technologies as part of Greater Manchester’s ambition to be a net zero city-region by 2038.
Alasdair Dalzel-Job, Technical Lead at Green Economy said:
“We understand that a key barrier to decarbonisation is cashflow and accessing capital investment to take those ‘wishlist’ projects to the forefront. Our grant is a real opportunity for businesses in Greater Manchester to prioritise energy efficiency improvements in 2025.
“We have delivered a number of grants for businesses over the years, awarding over £1.1 million since 2018, which has helped businesses to save over £2.5 million in overheads, with annual carbon savings of almost 8,000 Tonnes of Carbon.”
The Energy Efficiency grant is funded by UK Government as part of the Shared Prosperity Fund. Green Economy delivers this grant on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and in partnership with the GM Business Growth Hub. It is available to small and medium enterprises based in Greater Manchester offering 50 per cent of the cost to deliver projects worth up to £5,000. Eligible projects include heating equipment upgrades, replacement motors, process efficiency investments, and lighting efficiency. To qualify for the grant, projects must specify the scale of CO2e savings expected from the project.
Energy Efficiency grant frees up funding for creative arts projects at the Lowry
The Lowry Theatre has been an iconic exhibition and performance space for 25 years, sitting on the banks of the River Irwell in Salford. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Lowry has found it difficult to finance sustainability and energy efficiency upgrades, with most of their funding coming from donations, grants and visitor payments.
In 2024, The Lowry approached Green Economy to explore energy efficiency and grant funding support. Emma Smallwood, Development Manager for Philanthropy, met with Green Economy Technical Lead Alasdair Dalzel-Job to develop a robust energy efficiency plan and explore funding opportunities.
Working together, Green Economy and the Lowry were able to deliver a successful lighting upgrade project, with 50 per cent of the funding coming from Green Economy. The Energy Efficiency grant provided £5,000 for the replacement of fluorescent lighting fittings with new LED units, including motion sensor technology, which is particularly effective in low-use areas such as stairwells and storage areas.
Having finished the installation in spring 2025, The Lowry have already saved 30,400kWh in energy and are on track to reduce their annual energy bill by £9,000, equating to 19 tons of CO2e.
Emma said:
“My colleagues and I found the process of securing Green Economy Grant Funding to be really positive. We found the team to be friendly and very supportive, keen to help us successfully complete and submit the application. We were absolutely thrilled to be awarded the funding, without which we couldn’t have completed this work, which will have huge long-term impact on our sustainability and the community projects we’re able to deliver.”
Businesses can find out more about the grant, eligibility criteria and the application process by visiting https://greeneconomy.co.uk/business-support/decarbonise/grants/.