Factories, offices and warehouses can stay warm this winter and reduce heating bills with a match-funded businesses grant of up to £6,750 through the Resource Efficient Worcestershire Programme.

As the temperatures drop in the coming weeks, heating bills will inevitably rise and the true cost of winter starts to bite as heating can account for a significant amount of a company's fuel bills.

The resource efficient programme is designed to help county businesses to reduce their energy costs. Expert advisors visit businesses and help them to consider their energy use and through a free assessment, the advisor looks at how heating is being used, controlled and also how well premises are insulated.

The assessment is part of a wider resource and efficiency assessment that considers energy, waste and water.

Around 40 businesses have already received assessments, which can save, on average, per business, around £9,000 and 35 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Grants can be used for new boilers, insulation, glazing, destratifying fans to direct heat to the right place and even fast-acting shutting doors in warehouses to reduce heat loss.

Grants are also available for other energy, waste and water-efficiency projects and even for replacing older machinery with more energy efficient equipment.

One quick tip for businesses to save money is not to overheat, so keep an eye on the thermostat as heating costs rise by about 8 per cent for each 1ºC of overheating, according to the Carbon Trust).

 Register for an assessment by calling 01905 822833 or visit www.business-central.co.uk/rew

Worcestershire County Council in partnership with Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce was awarded funding from the West Midlands European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme for this initiative.