Improving community buildings
Community buildings are central to a lot of our work at CSE.
Well built and maintained, they can be safe, healthy, welcoming and energy-efficient spaces for community activities. They can bring people together, increase community cohesion and resilience, and act as a base for activities which demonstrate and inspire positive climate action.
Due to financial or time constraints, many community buildings are not very well insulated or maintained. Sometimes their heating and hot water systems are inefficient, or their users don’t know how to get the best out of their appliances and controls. But are building managers missing a trick? Could they install new technologies such as rooftop solar? Or are there resources to help them to plan or find funding for improvements to make the building warmer and cheaper to run?
This is where CSE can help. Jump to our tailored resources.
Benefits of energy-efficient community buildings
Whether it’s a library, school, community centre, village hall or place of worship, a more energy-efficient building provides lots of benefits to the community:
- A warm and comfortable building is a safe space to host meetups, activities or be a place of warmth in winter for people that may be unable to afford heat at home.
- A community building that saves money on energy can use the savings to fund other community initiatives.
- A local hub that has reduced carbon emissions sets an example for homes and other buildings in the area, inspiring long-lasting change.
Resources for community buildings
Making a building energy efficient includes lots of different measures such as draughtproofing, insulation and updating heating systems. Each building requires a different approach.
If you have links to a community building which is a hub for climate action activity, which needs some attention, or which is the focus of your community project then CSE’s resources, listed below, will help you to take the next step.
Community building energy audit
Our community building energy audit has been used by organisations across the country for more than ten years to help identify opportunities for improvements. It has recently been updated with more detailed and up to date guidance.
Funding for your community building
Once you know what improvements your building needs, you can start searching for available grants and funding to help. This resource runs through different ways you can fund your work.
Energy efficiency in community buildings
This handy guide highlights what you should do to improve energy efficiency in your community building and how to create a meaningful action plan to make it happen.
Guidance on installing solar PV
This resource from Historic England outlines what you need to consider when designing and installing solar power systems for historic buildings.
Retrofitting traditional buildings tool
Use this tool to explore which measures are suitable for retrofitting traditional buildings.
How to run a community energy day
A community energy day brings people together to learn more about energy, bills and sustainability while connecting with their neighbours and having fun. Hosting an energy day helps you to share learning with your community.
Different ways to fund your community energy project
Whether you’re looking to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings in your community, provide energy advice to local people, or start a local renewable energy initiative, various grants and funding schemes are available. This guidance goes through different types.
Explore ways to fund your project
Need further help?
Get in contact with our communities team who can discuss what support you need.