A Bath coffee house has grounds to celebrate after a grant from the West of England Combined Authority helped it go green and cut its energy bills.
Picnic Coffee on Saracen St received a grant of nearly £4,000 from the authority, which helped it buy a new less energy intensive espresso machine.
As well as cutting carbon emissions, Picnic Coffee director Tim Starks estimates the new machine will more than £700 annually on its electricity bills – equivalent to a 25% saving based on 2021’s prices, which are set to rise sharply this year.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who leads the combined authority, saw for himself how the cafe was benefiting from its grant when he visited this week, pictured.
He said: “If we’re going to meet our ambitious Net Zero targets, everyone needs to play their part, from lagging the loft to the new espresso machine we have here at Picnic Coffee.
“I’m pleased to hear that this cash injection from the combined authority has been the perfect blend helping cut carbon and energy bills – which is important as they keep soaring.
“They do an excellent cuppa here and it goes down even better knowing that it’s made on an energy-efficient machine.”
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA), which covers Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire, launched a £1.7m Green Business Grant scheme to help small and medium-sized businesses make energy saving improvements to their buildings and business operations.
