Utilise Plus Event Report: Energy Saving Workshop in Horsham

On a bright morning in January, delegates made their way to Horsham for an Energy Saving Workshop. This event was held as part of the Sustainable Business Partnership CIC’s ongoing Utilise Plus programme which helps small and medium sized enterprises to save energy, reducing their costs and environmental impact in the process.

After a short introduction from the SBP CIC’s Jack Dale, it was over to BHESCo’s Kayla Ente who delivered the workshop. Kayla outlined the business case for saving energy, from boosting cash flow to improving reputation. Delegates agreed that saving energy makes good business sense and they had all started to make small improvements in their organisations but were unsure of where to go next. Furthermore, they acknowledged a lack of time and money as two of the biggest obstacles they needed to overcome. With group discussions and individual exercises, delegates worked through these obstacles to tackle energy use in their organisations.

Kayla introduced delegates to various energy-saving technologies and advised on what would be most appropriate for each organisation. Delegates created their own, unique Action Plans tailored to their specific organisations, focussing on what they will do, when they will do it, and the stakeholders they’ll need to win over for it to be a success.

Delegates left with the knowledge and skills needed to start making changes in their organisations. Mark Hendley of Edward Baden commented that “the team had a great knowledge of the subject,” while Chris Brazier of The Jolly Tanners called the workshop “very informative” and Ella Seymour of Crickmay Surveyors said “this has been the most useful event I have been to.”

This event was held in partnership with Horsham District Council and was fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). At the Sustainable Business Partnership CIC, we always want to hear from passionate speakers, enthusiastic event partners and exciting venues. If you’d like to work with us, please get in touch.