15 Nov 2024
Thrive awards £33,000 in energy efficiency grants to community hubs across the UK
Since 2016, we’ve been working with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) to make community centres near our clean energy projects warmer and cheaper to run. And this year we’re pleased to have awarded over £33,000 to nine communities across the UK – providing grants of up to £4,500 for energy efficiency improvements like insulation, draught proofing and LED lighting in shared buildings.
Many of these community spaces act as warm refuges for local people to connect and access support services but they are often cold and expensive to heat. Thrive’s funding will help keep these spaces warm, whilst reducing their carbon footprint and energy bills.
“Our grant from Thrive Renewables towards LED lighting and a new heating system is going to save money for our charity and enable us to spend more of our income on delivering our community services. It will make our community building usable this winter, which is so important because it is our largest space and is where our Supported Farming & Green Care service is based when their cabin becomes too cold, as well as being a space used regularly by our wider community. It’s great to be reducing our climate impact, and I hope this will be the start of a new phase of activities to improve energy efficiency across our sites!”
As part of the application process, applicants were asked to complete a full energy survey of the shared building using guidance provided by CSE to identify potential improvements and calculate carbon and cost savings.
Nine community centres across the UK have been awarded funding:
- Trinity Arts Centre near Avonmouth wind farm, Bristol
- 58th Fife (Glenrothes) Scout Group near Dunfermline wind project, Fife
- Grange Methodist Church near Caton Moor wind farm, Lancashire
- St Werburghs City Farm near Avonmouth wind farm, Bristol
- Dunfermline St Columba’s Church of Scotland near Dunfermline wind project, Fife
- Tivetshall Village Hall near Eye wind turbine, Norfolk
- Seething and Mundham Village Hall near Ness Point wind turbine, Norfolk
- Satterwaite Parish Room near Haverigg wind turbine, Cumbria
- Radio City Association near Kilbirnie wind turbine, Ayrshire
The grants will enable these community organisations to make crucial energy efficiency improvements to their buildings ahead of winter, such as roof, window and wall insulation, double glazing and LED lighting.
Since we first started the programme in 2016, we have awarded 70 grants to 58 buildings, totalling over £225,000 nationally. As of 2024, the energy efficiency improvements funded by Thrive are saving an estimated 94 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
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