ThamesWey Sustainable Communities is pleased to announce that it has now finished allocating £50,000 of funding from DECC to not-for-profit organisations such as charities, community centres or parish councils to reduce their environmental impact and make their buildings more comfortable to meet in.
Through the Low Carbon Communities scheme, successful applicants were given free energy audits to provide detailed written guidance on what they should do to cut their costs and their energy consumption. Each building that received an audit was then able to apply for a grant to make energy saving improvements to their properties, as recommended in their reports.
In total, 15 buildings received audits, with eight receiving a grant of up to £10,000 to make improvements such as window replacement, cavity and loft insulation, LED lighting installation and boiler replacement. The buildings helped were a diverse group including community centres, church halls and sports associations.
It is expected that alongside a reduction in carbon emissions and costs, many of the improvements will also create a warmer, more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment for building users.
John Scott, the coordinator for the scheme, is very excited about the progress of the scheme to date. “This has offered a great chance for community organisations to get important work done that they may not have otherwise considered a priority. The energy audits have opened the eyes of many to the financial benefits of energy efficiency improvements and should lead to big savings, as well as significant carbon reductions.”
The installations resulting from the scheme are currently underway, and work should be completed by the autumn so look out for the results, case studies and further news later on in the year.