CSE is an independent national charity that has been working with community buildings across the UK for more than 45 years. Our work combines hands-on survey support with research, training and policy influence helping community organisations improve their buildings and the lives of the people who use them.

We offer practical guidance, bespoke energy surveys and capacity-building resources to help village halls, community centres, churches and other shared spaces reduce energy use, cut costs and lower carbon emissions, drawing on decades of experience in retrofit, energy advice and community-led projects.

Our work includes tailored audit tools, action planning guides and hands-on support to help organisations understand their buildings and secure funding for energy efficiency improvements.

Recent examples include:

Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme.
This scheme delivers free energy assessments, training and technical support to help community organisations plan and fund energy efficiency improvements.

Thrive Renewables Community Benefit Programme.
Since 2015, we’ve administered this fund on behalf of Thrive Renewables, distributing almost £200,000 to community groups across the UK and saving an estimated 86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent every year.

Big Local Climate Support Partnership.
Between 2022 and 2024 we supported 10 Big Local communities across England to take climate action, including improving the energy efficiency of community buildings.

Energy Resilience Fund
We support community buildings to plan and fund improvements to make their buildings more affordable to run and more resilient to a changing climate.

About our community buildings team

Our community buildings team includes a mixture of technical and non-technical staff who work together to offer a broad range of support to community organisations.

Community building assessments are usually carried out by Steve Coles and Robin Bell.

Steve Coles, Retrofit Project Manager
Steve is qualified retrofit coordinator and heritage professional with an MSc in Sustainability and adaptation in the built environment. He has over 20 years’ experience of working in construction. Specialising in non-domestic community building retrofit, Steve is one of our lead trainers delivering workshops for social investors, community groups, Energy advice organisations and national bodies such as Historic England.

Robin Bell, Retrofit Project Officer
Robin is a Certified Passivhaus Designer with an MSc in Green Building. He is experienced in surveying community buildings, advising on repair and maintenance, and delivering technical webinars on retrofit technologies.