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Thrive Renewables Community Benefit Programme

Map showing sites of Thrive renewable energy developments

Grants for energy saving measures in community buildings.

Project duration: November 2015 ongoing

CSE encourages communities to take local action on the climate crisis, and one way we do this is to support them in making energy efficiency changes to their local community buildings.

Since 2015 we have supported communities to save money, save carbon and keep their community buildings warm through the Thrive Renewables Community Benefit programme. This programme gives grants of up to £4,500 to cover improvements such as insulation, draught-proofing, LED lighting or improved heating controls.

2024 was the eighth year this grant programme has run, with a total of £33,000 made available.

The programme is open to community buildings within a 20-mile radius of one of the 15 wind and hydro sites in which Thrive Renewables is invested (see map and list of postcodes below).

Applications for 2024 are now closed, to find out about about future rounds, sign up to CSE’s newsletter.


Eligible areas

Below is a list of site names and postcodes of Thrive Renewables developments. Community buildings need to be within 20 miles of one of these to be eligible for the fund.

1Sigurd KW17 2NL
2Clayfords AB43 6RQ
3Auchtygills AB43 6RQ
4Beochlich PA33 1BW
5Dunfermline KY11 8UD
6Drumduff FK1 2JU
7Kilbirnie KA25 7LA
8Haverigg II LA18 4NB
9Caton Moor LA2 9HF
10Avonmouth BS11 0YS
11Boardinghouse PE15 0YN
12Ransonmoor PE15 0TY
13March (Greenvale) PE15 0UW
14Ness Point NR32 1UZ
15Eye IP23 8BW
Map showing sites of Thrive renewable energy developments

How to apply

1) Read the guidance document

Check that your building is within 20 miles of a Thrive Renewables site and meets other eligibility criteria listed. See the map of Thrive sites above.

Download the guidance document. (MS Word < 0.5 MB)

2) Complete the basic energy survey

This will help to help identify appropriate improvements to the building.

Obtain two quotes from installers for each improvement you have identified as most appropriate using the energy survey.

Download the energy survey. (PDF < 0.5 MB)

3) Fill in the application form

Email your completed form, energy audit and installer quotes to us by Tuesday 24 September to thrive@cse.org.uk or, if you prefer, by post to Tess Rushton, Centre for Sustainable Energy, St James Court, St James Parade, Bristol BS1 3LH.

Download the application form. (MS Word < 0.5 MB)


We can help you with your application

If you need more support to identify appropriate upgrades for your community building, get in touch. We can get you started and provide guidance on things like:

Awards will be made to groups which demonstrate that the improvements to their building will achieve the most impact in carbon savings and social value to their community.


Need inspiration?

Over the last few years, the grants have been awarded to many buildings including community centres, village halls, a cricket pavilion and a youth centre.

Stromness Museum, Orkney – a charitable trust and one of the oldest independent museums in Scotland – wanted to improve its energy efficiency to address rising energy costs. They used the funding from Thrive to triple the depth of the building’s loft insulation, bringing it up to current building regulation guidance.

The museum’s administrator, Gareth Squire, says that the effect was immediate. “The building is now noticeably warmer, and we hope to see a marked reduction in our heating costs and environmental impact. The funding has also helped us maintain a more stable temperature which is essential to the care of our collections.”

Stromness Museum, Orkney

If you would like to see what other groups delivered through the Thrive Community Benefit programme, read our latest blog here.


Energy essentials training for applicants

As part of our 2023 offer, and in response to the energy and cost of living crises, we delivered energy essentials training to all applicants to the fund.

This training was delivered as a series of webinars, and recordings of all three are available below:


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