With 3 in 5 community buildings in England’s most deprived areas not meeting basic energy efficiency standards, CSE is pleased to be working with Groundwork and partners on the government funded VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme.

The initiative supports voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) across England to deliver more efficient services for people and communities by saving money on their energy bills.

How the scheme helps VCSEs

The scheme had two main parts. First, an Independent Energy Assessment (IEA) helped VCSE organisations to identify energy saving measures in their community building. Then, capital grants of between £2,000 and £150,000 were available to install energy efficiency measures that have been identified in the IEA.

The scheme enables organisations to make meaningful improvements to their buildings. Each building is different, things like how and when they’re built, how they’re used, and how often repair and maintenance is carried out has an affect. Through the IEA, organisations will know how to address any unique features and issues to make suitable and direct changes. We also know that VCSEs often don’t have a lot of money to put towards energy efficiency measures, which is why the grants are so valuable.

Eligible organisations

The scheme primarily targeted micro, small and medium organisations supporting individuals and communities with critical needs, including:

• Services that address poverty, including by providing food, warmth, emergency supplies or personal grants.
• Shelter, accommodation and housing for those most in need.
• Advice for people experiencing financial, housing or legal challenges.
• Services that address specific physical and mental health issues (such as disability, addiction and dementia).
• Education, training and employment services that improve employability.
• Community hubs or centres, out of which any of the above services operate.

CSE’s role

CSE supported groups throughout the application process by helping them understand their Independent Energy Assessments, enabling them to make informed decisions about which measures to apply for. We have also been providing guidance to funded groups as a ‘capital enabler’, and CSE runs the Capital Enabler programme. This programme enables project partners to give bespoke consultancy support to each group, helping them to understand key aspects of their new measures that should be considered during and after installation.

Resources

CSE has also delivered a set of webinars aimed at helping groups to make the most of their new installations. You can watch these videos back here:

• Webinar 1: Building fabric.
  This webinar is about how to understand your building and how its building fabric, essentially what it’s made of and why, can influence which energy efficiency measures are suitable.
• Webinar 2: Energy management and behaviour change.
  This webinar is about energy efficiency behaviours, how to engage and involve building users, and how to monitor and track energy saving progress.
• Webinar 3: Heat pumps, heating systems and ventilation systems.
  This webinar is about different heating and ventilation systems for your community building.
• Webinar 4: Solar and batteries
  This webinar explores the viability of solar panels and types of batteries for your community building.

And if you’re considering installing new energy efficiency measures, you might be interested in watching:

• Improving the energy efficiency of your building: Building fabric
  Improving the fabric of your community building — that’s the materials and components that your building is made up of, like walls, roof, floors, windows and doors — can make a big difference. In this shorter video, Jacob from CSE explains where to start if you’re thinking about making improvements to the fabric of your community building.

We’re pleased to deliver this work with Groundwork and alongside other partnership members, Locality, Social Investment Business and Energy Saving Trust.