Cadent has linked up with Energy Saving Trust to offer advice to small charities and businesses to cope with rising energy costs amid closure fears.

Cadent has linked up with Energy Saving Trust to offer advice to small charities and businesses on ensuring they continue operating amid rising energy costs.

The gas network’s advice includes a list of government and local authority initiatives available, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme that offers grants of £7,5000 to install air or ground source heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass boilers.

Another is the Workplace Charging Scheme, where some SMEs can claim up to £350 a socket for installing electric vehicle charge points.

Tips on offer also include how businesses can replicate simple energy saving strategies already deployed by homeowners.

This includes having lights on sensors, so they switch off when a room is unoccupied.

Installing smart thermostats onto radiators to manage and monitor heating use is also advised.

According to a survey carried out by Cadent and Thinks Insight & Strategy more than half of charities fear they may not be operating in the next five years amid concerns around rising costs and demand and dwindling funding.

Among charity sector respondents more than two in five are either making roles redundant or pausing recruitment. A similar proportion say they are reducing or changing services they offer.

Action charities can take to cut costs includes reviewing energy use in their empty or underused buildings. More than half of charities are heating such properties, according to the survey.

However, researchers found that among charities “sustainability is rarely the top priority when considered alongside the other demands on small organisations’ resources”.

“I think it should be a priority for everyone, but it can be hard when you are small [charity], as it tends to be one person dealing with lots of different areas,” said one respondent.

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