Your Energy Your Way has partnered with Ethex, the leading impact investing platform, to raise up to £250,000 and is calling for UK investors to get involved*.
From as little as £500, UK investors can support a successful green energy solutions organisation through a pioneering renewable energy training program that will tackle the UK climate crisis, focusing on women that will secure the future for the renewables sector in the UK.
As an added incentive, investments made before the end of the 22/23 tax year also qualify for 30% Social Investment tax relief.
Your Energy Your Way is a very successful female-led, Surrey-based business that installs bespoke renewable energy systems for homes and businesses across the South East.
The domestic heating sector currently represents around 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions and in order to meet UK’s Net Zero targets by 2050, the sector must be rapidly decarbonised. Your Energy Your Way are accelerating this shift by installing a variety of renewable energy assets on homes and businesses, including solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and electric vehicle chargers. In doing so, they are enabling the generation of more clean, home-grown energy, tackling the climate crisis and boosting the UK’s energy security.
However, despite high demand in the sector, there is a growing skills shortage for renewable energy services. The heating sector is already experiencing a shortage of labour, which is likely to worsen as it consists of an ageing workforce with few new entrants.
Leah Robson, Founding Director of Your Energy Your Way commented “My personal experience is one of becoming an accidental expert in the renewables installation business. Over the past 10 years, assisting with and then running my own firm has taught me more than any MBA or College course ever could. And quite simply the courses do not currently exist that train you to install high-quality integrated renewable energy solutions. This exciting investment opportunity will help us to redress that issue, at the same time as raising the profile of women in the renewable energy sector. We want to create training and work opportunities so we can provide a sustainable future.”
The latest Gas Safe Register data shows that engineers’ median age is 55, an age around which many start retiring or leaving the sector. There are currently 120,000 gas boiler installers but to meet Net Zero targets the number of heat pump installers will likely need to rise from 2,000 to around 50,000-100,000.
And women are severely underrepresented in the heating sector with only 2% of tradespeople being women. Moreover, only 5% of professionals in the overall UK energy sector have an ethnic minority background.
Your Energy Your Way are aiming to launch a new and groundbreaking training scheme that will help plug the skills gap in the sector, enabling more homes and businesses to decarbonise their energy usage, while at the same time seeking to add diversity to the workforce.
The scheme, partly funded by investments in their bond offer, will provide hands-on training to fill the skills gap in the renewable energy installation market, where demand is currently much higher than availability. It will also increase diversity within the renewable energy sector by encouraging female applicants and trainees of all ages and backgrounds, creating up to 18 secure job opportunities.
By training a home-grown workforce, Your Energy Your Way will be able to grow their business in line with demand and increase profitability. The training program will help Your Energy Your Way to provide almost 900 renewable energy solutions creating almost 14,000 mWh of clean energy per annum and saving almost 3,000 tonnes of CO2.
Lisa Ashford, CEO, Ethex: “It is clear that we need to act urgently to decarbonise our buildings and businesses like Your Energy Your Way are key to us achieving that goal. As we approach International Women’s Day, it is fitting to be launching an offer that is not only securing the future of the renewable energy sector by filling the skills gap, but prioritising training and employment for women in this industry where they are hugely underrepresented. We are very excited to welcome Your Energy Your Way to the Ethex platform.”
The offer is aiming to raise £250,000 (with a minimum raise of £200,000) and will provide the capital needed for Your Energy Your Way to launch the training program, tackling the skills shortage within the renewable energy sector, encouraging more women into careers in the sector and, ultimately, helping the UK reach its net zero goals by generating more clean energy and cutting carbon emissions.
Investments start at £500, with Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) applying to eligible investments made before April 6th 2023, in return for putting their money to work to help build a diverse, inclusive and skilled workforce to create a renewable energy sector fit for the future. Further information about the offer visit www.ethex.org.uk/invest/yeyw