First Edition: Sustainability for Businesses Newsletter

Havant Borough Council sent this bulletin at 20-06-2025 11:30 AM BST

JUNE 2025 - FIRST EDITION

The council has declared a climate emergency and has set aims for net-zero emissions by 2050. In doing so, we want to support the efforts of others across the borough as they work to become net-zero.

To support the transition to a greener economy, we are excited to launch the first edition of our quarterly Green Newsletter for Business to promote sustainable business practices, workforce training and funding opportunities, helping businesses move forward with their journeys to sustainability.

Find out more about Havant Borough Council's Strategy and Action Plan

Havant Rugby Football Club

The rugby football club as operated in Havant for 74 years. Due to rising electricity costs, as a result of the development of the clubhouse as the main source of revenue, the organisation needed to find a reliable energy solution. Gordon Brember, Head of Facilities, took the time to share the organisation's experience of why a sustainable investment was important for business.

The Club's Investment

Although the club has installed various interventions over time, solar panel installation became the best solution to "take away the pain of the price increases", according to Gordon.

The full installation of solar panels and battery storage was just under £25k, working closely with Save Energy UK to ensure the best package was chosen. A total of 56 solar panels have been installed on the grandstand roof at the club.

The Savings

The longer term investment is what the club is aiming for, recognising that the initial energy costs saved will pay off the higher purchase loan that was secured with the support of Save Energy UK. With a number of rising costs, like many other organisations in hospitality, Gordon shared that releasing the capital funding to finance the installation would have been a challenge.

The costs saved will pay off the loan and contribute to the organisation running over a 5-year period. Following the initial 5 years, the expectation is to see an estimated 20% savings on electricity costs.

The Club's Advice to Others

"Do your homework and build a prediction model. We looked at our hourly usage in detail."

"We are a hospitality business that supports a rugby club in essence. Hospitality has many challenges and we have to keep improvements to stand still." Gordon added, "Installation of Solar PV and savings plays a role in the overall business."

Solar panels installed on the stadium roof of Havant Rugby Club

Find out more about Havant Rugby Football Club

Free Business Sustainability & Net Zero Workshops

Business Climate Action Workshop: Net Zero 360

Shaping Portsmouth's Business Climate Action programme, in partnership with Solent Business & Skills Solutions, are delivering valuable workshops for SME-sized organisations.

The workshops are completely free to attend and are in-person, with several upcoming dates to book onto.

The content of the workshop will cover several areas, including:

An introduction to greenhouse gases and human-caused climate change
Key terminology and legislation
Details on how to measure, monitor and improve your organisation's carbon footprint
The creation of a bespoke net zero roadmap

The next session is scheduled for 16th July from 10am - 1pm

Location: Upper 2nd Floor, Guildhall, Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth , PO1 2AB

Find out more about the upcoming workshops

Free Virtual Green Skills Training

Image of green leaves with skill symbols

Innovation South Virtual Campus

The Innovation South Virtual Campus is offering a growing range of Green Skills courses aimed at businesses.

Funded by EM3 and the Department of Education, the virtual campus aims to support local people to upskill and reskill in the latest green skills.

Courses cover topics such as Carbon Literacy, Domestic Retrofit, Sustainable Resource Management, plus more.

Create an account with Innovation South Virtual Campus

Workplace Charging Scheme

Central Government is offering grants to provide support towards the costs of the purchase, installation and infrastructure of electric vehicle chargepoints to eligible applicants.

The scheme provides support for organisations towards the cost of installing up to 40 electric vehicle chargepoint sockets on site.

The scheme is open to eligible businesses, charities, public sector organisations and small accommodation businesses. Application submission is available until 31 March 2026.

Central Government is offering grants to provide support towards the costs of the purchase, installation and infrastructure of electric vehicle chargepoints to eligible applicants.

The scheme provides support for organisations towards the cost of installing up to 40 electric vehicle chargepoint sockets on site.

The scheme is open to eligible businesses, charities, public sector organisations and small accommodation businesses. Application submission is available until 31 March 2026.

Find out more about the Workplace Charging Scheme

According to SME Climate Hub, small and medium sized companies (SMEs) make up 90% of global business and are the foundation of the world’s value chains.

Though the individual footprint of an SME might be small, together they contribute a sizable amount to the global carbon footprint. Many SMEs want to act but may not know where to start.

Measuring and understanding your emissions is a great first step to help your business start taking meaningful action.

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