Takeaway receives support to reduce carbon footprint

Michael Charlton, director of Charltons, with the new electric car bought with the help of BEEP

Charltons, a well-known food business in Peterlee, significantly increased its food delivery service during lockdown when it was unable to serve customers at its premises.

As staff were using their own cars for deliveries, the business was concerned about the amount of fuel required to deliver orders and the resulting increase in the operation's carbon footprint.

Solution to less emissions

The food business had been working for some time with our Business Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) and applied for a grant to help it to acquire an electric car for business use.

This car has now become the workhorse for food deliveries reducing both the business cost of the delivery service and the cost to the environment.

Michael Charlton, director of Charltons, said: "I can get 120 miles of range, more than the company's daily needs, for only £1.50 so the move has been great for the company's finances as well as the environment."

Support available from BEEP

Drawing on funding from both us and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), BEEP provides a fully funded and independent audit to identify where financial savings can be made and, in many cases, can also provide grant support towards the cost of energy efficient capital investment.

Cllr John Clare, our climate change champion, said: "We are very pleased that more and more local businesses are looking into how they can make their operations energy efficient and, through BEEP, are supported with advice and financial aid to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards a sustainable future.

"Charltons has been working for some time with BEEP to make its business more energy efficient. We are delighted that the grant awarded to Charltons has allowed them to make a swap that will significantly help the business in reducing its carbon emissions."