Energy Partnership ‘meet the buyer’ event helps small businesses join Coventry’s clean energy campaign

E.ON and Coventry City Council’s Strategic Energy Partnership has brought together small and medium-sized businesses from across the city at a dedicated event designed to help small firms explore opportunities to support a long-term programme of sustainable energy improvements including solar panels and heat pump installations.

At a CBS Arena event, E.ON and Coventry City Council set out how local businesses can become delivery partners for projects under the city’s Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP). Opportunities include installing solar panels at up to 90 primary and secondary schools and fitting air source heat pumps to help remove gas from schools and other public buildings, with the first phases expected this summer.

More than 20 firms joined the session to hear how the SEP is focused on boosting jobs, skills and the city’s economy through the energy transformation. E.ON’s Supply Chain team shared technical requirements and the support on offer to help businesses qualify as delivery partners for upcoming programmes.

Feedback from business attending the event was resoundingly positive:

“The supplier engagement event was a well‑organised and valuable opportunity to engage directly with E.ON and Coventry City Council. The event highlighted their strong commitment to working with local suppliers and outlined exciting upcoming opportunities to support the transition to renewable technologies, including solar PV and heat pumps, reinforcing a shared ambition for a greener and more sustainable future.” James Whitmore, Managing Director, Heat Centre Ltd

“It was good to see E.ON working towards supporting the local community through school and domestic retrofit, and also really encouraging they are keen to engage with the local supply chain as much as possible to deliver the upcoming work.” David Skimming, Partnerships Manager, Maybury Energy Services Ltd

Tony Poole, Head of Coventry City Partnership for E.ON, said: “Alongside clean and affordable energy, one of the key priorities for our work in Coventry is keeping investments within the city and keeping the value in the local economy. Our meet-the-buyer event is just one way of doing that and we’re delighted so many of the city’s businesses came out to learn more about how they can take part in and benefit from the clean energy transformation in our city.”

Councillor John McNicholas, cabinet member for community safety and cohesion at Coventry City Council, said: “I am delighted that so many local businesses attended this event. Our partnership with E.ON, a first of its kind for the UK, is about helping to deliver real benefits for local people and that includes local businesses.
“The green industrial revolution will create new jobs for local people and we want to lead that charge. Our work with E.ON is already having an impact, and we remain committed to supporting our local businesses to play an important role in our city's transition to renewable technology.  There are good opportunities here, that will protect and create jobs for people as we transition to a greener and more sustainable Coventry.”

The ‘meet-the-buyer’ session highlighted how Coventry’s Strategic Energy Partnership – established in September 2023 – is driving the city’s transition to cleaner and affordable  energy, with the benefits of creating a greener and healthier Coventry, supporting a thriving local economy and providing a better quality of life for all.

Through the partnership, E.ON and the city council are also focused on delivering measurable value to the city – eight new apprentices have been supported into employment so far, £1.6m of social impact projects have been delivered including community growing schemes, and more than 1,800+ pupils have been engaged with education and careers activities.