Helping communities cut carbon and costs – Thrive launches round eight of Community Benefit Programme

News

23 Jul 2024

Community buildings neighbouring our clean energy projects can apply for grants of up to £4,500 to make energy efficiency improvements.

Article written by anna.cooper

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The eighth year of Thrive’s Community Benefit Programme, run in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), is open to applicants. The scheme, which has been running since 2015, awards energy efficiency grants to community hubs near Thrive’s clean energy sites – helping them to make improvements such as insulation and draught proofing, to reduce carbon emissions and help manage energy bills.

Community spaces provide a friendly meeting place for local people but are often cold, draughty and expensive to heat. It’s important to help the volunteers who manage these social hubs take practical measures to improve energy efficiency, so that they can reduce costs and keep them warm throughout the winter.

Community buildings located within a 20 mile radius of one of Thrive’s clean energy projects can apply for grants of up to £4,500 to make energy efficiency improvements. Applicants will be asked to complete a full energy survey of the shared building using guidance supplied by CSE. This will help to identify potential improvements, including zero-cost measures, and calculate carbon and cost savings for different options. Applications will remain open until 24th September 2024. Full details on how to apply can be found on CSE’s website.

“Village halls and community centres play a vital role in bringing people together locally to socialise, exercise and enjoy hobbies. Often they are old, cold, draughty buildings which can be expensive to heat. We hope to support social hubs close to our clean energy projects by providing funding for important energy efficiency improvements. Updates such as LED lighting, insulation, and double glazing can go a long way in boosting warmth and reducing energy costs, whilst also avoiding carbon emissions”.

Louise Daniels, Head of External Affairs, Thrive Renewables

Now in the eighth round of funding, the programme has awarded 61 grants to 53 community buildings, totalling over £190,000. These improvements save over 85 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

In 2023, grants were awarded to ten community buildings across the UK, including Debenham Shed located near Eye Wind Farm in Suffolk. Debenham Shed aims to improve mental health for retired men and women who may otherwise struggle with loneliness or isolation, by providing workshop facilities with tools and materials for people to connect, converse and create. They used the grant to improve heating and insulation to continue running their workshop comfortably throughout the winter.

“CSE is excited to run the 8th round of the Thrive Renewables Community Benefit Programme. With each round, we’re able to support more community spaces to stay open and continue running vital services for their local communities, like warm hubs and food banks. Community buildings serve as vital spaces for people to gather, take part in social activities and access support. In recent years, they have come under threat from rising energy costs, which is why grant schemes like the TRCBP are so important to keep going. We’re able to support community groups to make impactful changes to their building’s energy efficiency, allowing them to save money on their energy costs, reduce their co2 emissions and create a safe and warm space for their communities. “

Tess Rushton, Project Manager, Centre for Sustainable Energy