Walsall training provider saves £15K yearly and reduces energy use through BEAS
Published: 05 June 2025
Performance Through People, a leading regional training provider whose head office is in Walsall, has reduced energy costs for its headquarters after receiving match funding from the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS).
Designed to help businesses save money and drive growth, BEAS has helped Performance Through People improve the insulation in their training centre in Walsall and introduce energy efficient lighting by paying 50 per cent of the costs of the measures, supporting the skills provider to work towards its net zero goals and save around £15,000 a year on energy.
About the business
Pictured: Peter Grant (Pro Enviro) and Rob Colbourne (CEO, Performance Through People).
Performance Through People delivers a wide range of accredited apprenticeship courses, bespoke commercial programmes and a range of government funded schemes to suit the needs of customers, which range from SMEs to leading national brands.
It is a leading support of key regional employment initiatives and since 2014 has been a leading partner in the delivery of the Ladder for the Black Country apprenticeship scheme which has now been expanded to encompass surrounding regions including Greater Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire to improve skills and employment opportunities.
"Thanks to the match funding from BEAS we have enhanced the insulation in our head office, bringing considerable benefits in reducing our heating bills during the colder months. We have also invested in LED lighting throughout our building, which consumes significantly less energy than traditional bulbs and generates cost savings on electricity bills.
"We purchased modern radiators separately and have a net zero goal which we are working towards, so the BEAS support has enabled us to make progress. We recommend other businesses access their help to generate savings and reduce their environmental impact.
"We're now £15,000 better off a year, which is great news."
- Rob Colbourne, CEO of Performance Through People
How BEAS helped
A pilot programme of Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM), BEAS was launched to empower small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), eligible through paying business rates within the West Midlands Combined Authority region, with the tools, insights and funding they need to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.
Under BEAS, businesses like Performance Through People can apply for grant funding from £1,000 to £100,000 to invest in energy improvement measures, administered by the local authority.
BEAS also offers business audits which look at equipment, lighting, heating and behavioural changes to pinpoint areas which could drive efficiencies through measures ranging from solar panels through targeted energy management and metering which drive efficiencies.
What BEAS says
“We are delighted to see Performance Through People making such excellent use of our match funding programme to improve their energy efficiency. Their investment in enhanced insulation and LED lighting perfectly demonstrates how BEAS support can deliver practical measures which generate both immediate cost savings and long-term environmental benefits.
"This is exactly why we created this initiative, to help West Midlands SMEs take practical steps toward energy efficiency that strengthen their bottom line while reducing their carbon footprint.
"We encourage all eligible businesses to follow Performance Through People's example and explore how we can help them implement similar energy-saving measures at a time when every company is closely managing expenditure.”
- Peter Grant, Pro Enviro, BEAS Delivery Partner
Learn more about BEAS
The BEAS programme has conducted 922 detailed energy assessments in 2024 and provided businesses with recommendations to save almost 33,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of driving 82 million miles in an average petrol car.
The BEAS goal for 2025 is to reach more businesses across the West Midlands, strengthen their support for SMEs by expanding the network and resources and continue to contribute to the nationwide push for net zero.
Whether you are an SME looking to reduce your energy bills, or adopt greener practices, BEAS is encouraging SMEs to get in touch and join the movement for sustainability and cost efficiency.
