Centre for Sustainable Energy

Sign up to our newsletter! We send out news about our activities, projects, events, training opportunities and jobs once or twice a month, alongside our new resources and toolkits. Sign up below 👇 https://www.cse.org.uk/newsletter/

Explore our toolkit on Widening Participation in #CommunityEnergy 🌟 It's full of resources, insights and case studies to help community energy groups increase their impact through greater involvement of people from across their communities. 🛠️ Explore the toolkit here 👉 https://bit.ly/4up0fH7

Alongside @electrifygb.bsky.social and over 100 other organisations, we've written to the government urging them to protect the Warm Homes Plan in full. Cutting the Warm Homes Plan now would be a huge backwards step for our transition to a fairer, greener energy system. Read more 👇

We've teamed up with some of the leading organisations working on inclusive flexibility to contribute to a new policy paper from Which? It looks at which households stand to gain most from flexible energy use, who faces the biggest barriers, and what the government should do about it. Read more 👇

We've recently responded to the government’s consultation on a Smart Data Repository – a potentially transformational part of our future energy system. It's something we've been calling for since 2017. The benefits would be significant – but it must put consumers first. Read our full thoughts 👇

Support for #Retrofit still isn't available equally across the country. For an advice charity like CSE, one of the hardest conversations is telling someone they qualify for help with home improvements but there's nothing available where they live. Read our thoughts 👉 https://bit.ly/4e8gt0Y

After her partner passed away, Leanne was living alone and struggling to stay warm in a home with broken heaters. Find out how we helped Leanne 👇 https://www.cse.org.uk/news/leannes-story/

How could you understand your local area's carbon footprint? Impact is a digital visualisation tool that helps you calculate your community’s carbon emissions. It works for parishes, wards and local authority areas. Explore the tool here 👉 impact-tool.org.uk

Explore our Nature Connection Guide, a free resource for youth clubs to help young people develop connections with nature 🐝 The session plans explore how we can experience nature through all our senses. Download the guide 👉 https://bit.ly/476M8fg

Applications are still open for the Youth #ClimateAction Fund 🍃 Schools, colleges and training providers in #Bristol can apply for grants of between £800 and £3,500 to fund a project idea from a group of their students. Find out more and apply 👇

Join the latest webinar in our series exploring consumer fairness issues in the #SmartEnergy market. Essential viewing for anyone interested in energy flexibility and consumer issues! 🗓️ Wednesday 7 October 🕐 1pm - 2pm 📍Online Sign up below 👇

Together with Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, we’ve been developing Climate Resilience Guides - bespoke guides to help community organisations understand and plan for extreme weather events. Find out why community level action matters 👇

We still don't know what the #WarmHomesPlan will look like in practice. And until it begins delivery, the #Retrofit sector faces a shortfall of around £1.3bn a year. Without clear funding, timescales and delivery routes, the WHP risks becoming another missed opportunity. Read our thoughts 👇

We welcome the launch of Great British Energy's Community Fund and Partnership Grants today 🎉 We're pleased to see an emphasis on partnership building, community ownership, engagement and long-term local benefit - principles we've long advocated for via our #CommunityEnergy work.

We've joined @energy-uk.org.uk, @e3g.bsky.social and more than 120 organisations from across the country in calling on government to move all levies off electricity bills to make energy costs more affordable. Read the full letter below 👇

The Local Power Plan has set a target of 8 GW of #CommunityEnergy by 2030. That's only achievable if the right support reaches the right communities at the right time. Built with Community Energy England and Ashden Climate Solutions, that's what Community Energy GO is designed to do. Explore more👇

CSE & Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership are developing bespoke guides for organisations to build community resilience - how they respond to the impacts of climate change. Here's why this is valuable👇https://www.cse.org.uk/news/how-building-community-resilience-to-climate-change-benefits-us-all/

Live in Wiltshire? Our Warm & Safe Wiltshire project provides free energy advice to people in Wiltshire & Swindon - cse.org.uk/my-home/advice-projects/warm-and-safe-wiltshire If you don't, we can still help! Contact us here - https://www.cse.org.uk/advice-guidance/contact-us-for-energy-advice/

Applications are now open for the Youth Climate Action Fund 🍃 Schools, colleges and training providers in #Bristol can apply for grants of between £800 and £3,500 to fund a project idea from a group of their students. Find out more and apply 👇

We've just published our Organisational Carbon Audit Tool – a spreadsheet-format resource that helps small organisations or #CommunityEnergy groups calculate their carbon emissions. Explore it here 👇

Today, #pluginsolar panels become legal to use and available to buy across the country, helping more households cut their energy bills and benefit from clean energy. Watch this space for our upcoming advice on how best to use and benefit from plug-in solar 🌞 Find out more 👇

The price cap increase announced today is another blow to millions of households who have struggled to afford to stay cool this summer. We've modelled the extra energy needed to keep homes safe during summer, and its possible impact on fuel poverty numbers. Explore it here 👉 https://bit.ly/4giN2uJ

Explore our new tool: the Building Heat Model 🏢 It's a user-friendly Excel tool that calculates heating demand profiles for a variety of heating systems. Developed by CSE and the National Energy System Operator, it covers gas boilers, electric boilers, heat pumps, and more. Take a look 👇

How could you understand your local area's carbon footprint? Impact is a digital visualisation tool that helps you calculate your community’s carbon emissions. It works for parishes, wards and local authority areas. Explore the tool here 👉 https://impact-tool.org.uk/

Our new toolkit makes it simple for local authorities and #CommunityEnergy groups to help communities explore renewable energy opportunities. It builds on our Future Energy Landscapes work - a pioneering approach to community engagement. Register for our launch webinar 👇 https://bit.ly/4wC7awx

Kathryn installed a battery in her home to save money on her energy bills. But then her installer went bust - and only a month after installation, her battery developed a fault. The protections that should have been in place weren't there. Find out how we helped Kathryn 👇 https://bit.ly/4qbIBoL

In collaboration with Heatwave Toolkit, we've released new advice to help you keep your home cool in a #Heatwave. Our tips are all quick, cheap and easy to do, and are suitable whether you rent or own your home. Explore our advice below, and use it to help the people you support 👇

Social housing tenants have been systematically excluded from energy flexibility markets – despite having the most to gain from lower energy costs. Our SNUG project is changing that. Find out more 👇

We've just published findings from our Smart & Fair research programme, supported by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and National Grid Electricity Distribution. Seven years of evidence shows that fairness in the #EnergySystem won't emerge naturally. It has to be designed and delivered.

For local authorities who need to meet ambitious climate targets, successful collaboration with #CommunityEnergy groups is essential - and it helps their broader goals too. This guide brings together resources, tips and case studies to help local authorities improve collaboration 👇 #UpTheEnergy

We had a fantastic time at Energising Britain South West last week! Thanks to the South West Net Zero Hub for hosting and to everyone who joined us there. We joined a panel on the power of #CommunityEnergy and discussed learnings from our own community engagement approach in Corsham. #UpTheEnergy

Check out our toolkit for widening participation in #CommunityEnergy 👇 #UpTheEnergy

Effective governance is crucial to the success of #CommunityEnergy organisations – but it’s often overlooked or misunderstood. Our guide aims to equip community energy groups with the knowledge, tools and resources to implement good governance practices. Explore it below 👇 #UpTheEnergy

Discover our Future Energy Landscapes community engagement toolkit 🛠️ This free toolkit is designed for local authorities, parish councils, and community groups. It can be used to nurture #CommunityEnergy projects, and it’s great for starting local conversations on renewable energy. #UpTheEnergy

#CommunityEnergy can transform our energy system – but only if government removes the barriers holding it back. That's why we're pleased to see that the latest House of Commons committee report has taken many of our recommendations on board. Find out more 👉 https://bit.ly/4gTUhK8 #UpTheEnergy

#CommunityEnergy initiatives will play a vital role in our future energy system, but access to funding can be a challenge. We're sharing our top tips and resources on how to fund your projects: 💰 Grants 📢 Crowdfunding 💸 Raising shares 🏦 Institutional investment Find out more 👇 #UpTheEnergy

Are you a community group in the early stages of developing a #CommunityEnergy project in England? Do you feel under-resourced? Unsure about how to navigate challenges? Uncertain about where to go for expert advice? Community Energy GO can help. Find out more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4dOcOFV #UpTheEnergy

It's Community Energy Fortnight! Over the next two weeks, we'll be sharing events, tools, resources and stories from our work with all the amazing #CommunityEnergy organisations we support. Watch this space 👀💚 #UpTheEnergy Community Energy England

Over half of community buildings in England struggle with energy efficiency issues and the resulting financial pressures. We conducted an energy survey for Chew Stoke village hall to advise on possible improvements. Find out more about our community building energy surveys 👉 https://bit.ly/4efonpJ

Installing a #HeatPump in your community building could help make it more comfortable and play a huge part in reducing its energy bills and environmental impact. 💡🌱 Before installing a heat pump, it's important to consider how your building is currently heated. Olivia explains more below 👇

📢 Research opportunity: Are you a #CommunityEnergy group or housing provider working on smart energy in social housing? You could be part of our exciting research project on how households and communities contribute to smart local energy systems. Email nick.stromberg@cse.org.uk or find out more 👇

As temperatures shoot up again this week, our advisors share their top tips for staying cool in a #Heatwave 👇

Too often, young people are being left out of decisions about #Energy and #Climate that will affect their generation most of all. We're working to change that. Below, Grace speaks about her experience of our youth empowerment programme, and how it's made a huge difference 👇

How could you improve the energy efficiency of your community building? Repairing or renovating your windows and doors can make a huge difference. DIY draught-proofing is also a great low-cost option 🪟 Below, Jacob shares some key considerations for improving your community space 👇