The Green Incentive: What do you get for being a green business centre?

A celebration of home is taking place on the 22nd April. I don’t mean the one with walls and a roof, but the land it sits on of course!

Earth Day is the day you walk, car pool or cycle to work, and every year it reminds us to be thankful.

However, to hijack a familiar statement: Earth is for life, not just for a day.

There are numerous perks to going green for business centre managers. Government incentives enable you to be environmentally friendly while not being out of pocket (and potentially make more money on the way.)

We’ve put together the green perks and changes that can benefit business centre operators and providers in the short-term and the long-run.

The Climate Change Levy (CCL) introduces charges to businesses within certain industries but can be avoided within the commercial office industry.

If your business uses small amounts of energy or if you are lucky enough to operate on domestic energy you are exempt anyway, (though the chances of this happening for a business centre are pretty slim.)

So how do you avoid the bulk of those CCL charges?

Heating and Boilers

Certain approved combined heat and power (CHP) schemes can allow exemption from the main Climate Change Levy rates.

By harnessing heat produced by the generation (and usage) of electricity, you can save on wasted heat and save on the gas bill for hot water and central heating.

To learn more about combined heat and power schemes, check out this infographic.

Renewable energy sources

Of course you may not have the funds, or the space to build wind turbines or solar panels, but if the flexibility is there it may well be worth exercising it. All energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric is free from Climate Change Levy charges.

You can also benefit from grants and benefits to assist in the cost of building a turbine and energy you don’t use that gets put back into the system. Click here to read more about it.

Recycling

There are currently no major government incentives for large businesses to recycle. However as a business centre you are in a unique position, small businesses currently receive a number of benefits for recycling.

As premises for small business, your business centre can support clients’ waste solutions, while reaping the rewards in lower waste yourself!

This office at Rivington Street, Shoreditch is certainly worth mentioning, as they tick all the green boxes with rainwater harvesting, solar-thermal heating and a living green roof. Now that’s an office keeping Mother Earth happy.