Please find below information and contacts for businesses in Herefordshire.

Herefordshire GreenLinks support local businesses to improve their green credentials, save energy and costs and win a loyal following of local customers.

For more information about the work of GreenLinks, and how to sign up to the Green Badging Scheme, please click here, or go to www.herefordshiregreenlinks.info

GreenLight : Green advice exchange for business

GreenLight is a monthly evening in the pub for businesses to swap advice and share their experiences of improving sustainability and 'going green'.

GreenLight is designed to be informal and relaxed. It's open to everyone, from those well-versed in eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable business to those wondering how and where to start. We'll have the odd specialist along to lead discussions and offer advice in their field and we'll have information available on the various programmes and initiatives available to business, but primarily GreenLight is for, by and about the people who come long.

So please do join us and make GreenLight something that your business can really benefit from. All it will cost you is the price of whatever you're drinking - there are no membership fees, no pledges and no preaching, just support, advice and encouragement in greening your business.

Twitter: @GreenLightLocal

Web: www.greenlightlocal.org.uk

Contact: heather@opensure.net 

... & some practical advice from www.egemagazine.com

Dialling down workplace heating by just one degree could save business and the public sector over £35m/yr in unnecessary energy bills, according to new guidance published by the Carbon Trust. The Carbon Trust has launched two new guides to help organisations save up to 30% on rising winter heating bills.

In the service sector, for example, heating accounts for over 75% of companies' fuel bills, but simple measures such as resetting timers and replacing old controls could save 15% on annual heating costs. Lowering heating by just one degree can further save a company up to 8% of fuel consumption.

The Heating, ventilation and air conditioning and Heating control guides are part of the Carbon Trust's Expert in Energy series and can be downloaded from www.carbontrust.co.uk/expertinenergy. Here are some top tips from the guides:

• Get control - buildings with well-controlled heating systems typically have a 15-30% lower heating fuel usage
• Don't overheat - heating costs rise by about 8% for each 1ºC of overheating. Buildings have different optimum temperatures depending on their use – use the checklist in the guide
• Maintain regularly - energy consumption of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can increase by up to 30% if regular maintenance is not undertaken
• Think big picture – energy is wasted when heating and air conditioning work against each other so remember to look at these in the round
• Train staff – employees should receive guidance on recommended operating temperatures and how to set heating or cooling units correctly – remember there's a common misconception that turning thermostats up as high as they go heats a room more quickly