Thumbs up to re-opening of Government energy scheme

The voluntary scheme currently provides members of the cold storage CCA with a collective £10 million saving every year.

A CCA allows businesses in high energy industries to receive a discount on the Climate Change Levy (CCL) they pay. The CCL is a tax added to electricity, fuel and gas bills if you are in the industrial, commercial, agricultural or public service sector.

Previously due to end in 2023 and closed to new entrants, the Government announced in March that the CCA scheme will be extended until 2025 and reopened for new applications. 

More than 400 facilities are already signatories to the cold storage CCA. Collectively, they have made a 16% improvement in the energy efficiency of their cold storage facilities between 2012 and 2018, beating the sector’s scheme target. As a result, the scheme has saved its cold storage signatories £10m each year in taxes. This total will increase as more cold storage facilities join the scheme.

Cold Chain Federation chief executive Shane Brennan said: “We are urging business to act fast. Applying to join the cold storage CCA is straightforward but it does take time and the deadline for getting your application to us is 28th August, so we advise businesses to start the process by early July. The Cold Chain Federation administers the scheme and we can provide support and advice to cold storage businesses wanting to apply for the first time, and to those wanting to add a new facility to their existing agreement.

“This is a very difficult time for our industry but we don’t expect to see another opportunity to join this scheme or a similar one for several years, so businesses should be sure they take this opportunity now.”