The BPIF said it has long been the sole provider of the Umbrella Agreement on behalf of the whole print sector and it currently administers the scheme for around 330 of the larger energy users in the industry, saving it over £11m every year.

The joining window for the scheme has also been reopened to the end of September 2023. The BPIF said that for sites that use printing processes including litho, screen, flexo, digital, and inkjet and have a substantial energy usage, this is likely to be the final chance to join and take advantage of the savings.

Typically, a company using 500,000 kWh’s of electricity in a year would have an annual saving of £3,650 a year before scheme costs. With the scheme being extended to April 2027 that would mean a saving of around £14,600 over the period. The savings on gas would be in addition to the figures quoted but are usually smaller as gas is mainly used for heating, the BPIF added.

The scheme is site specific and by sending the BPIF a site’s annual consumption of electricity in kWhs, the trade association can then let the business know how much the it would save. Even by just sending over a representative monthly bill, the site can get an estimate of the savings on offer, the BPIF added.

The organisation will take the site through the requirements of the application process, providing it with sample templates and explaining the work involved. Once the application is complete it will be submitted to the government on the site’s behalf by the BPIF, who will then explain how to start claiming the discount.

BPIF CEO Charles Jarrold said: “The CCA rebate scheme has been highly effective in motivating companies to examine and reduce their emissions and energy use, while also offsetting the otherwise considerable costs of the levy.

“It’s been a great success story for the sector, so, we were pleased after extensive representations that government recognised the need for the incentives to stay in place. We are now working with government to look at what happens after 2027, to ensure that if a different scheme is adopted it works to support UK print competitiveness.”