Energy Efficiency: What Community Groups Can Do

Energy and utility costs can be a significant expense for community buildings and there are ways that you can reduce them.

There are a number of organisations which are able to offer advice and resources that may support communities in considering energy efficiency and renewable energy options.

Some of the ways in which you could look into your energy usage include:

  • Considering and checking your heating and lighting usage.
  • Checking the thermal efficiency of your building by looking at the level of insulation, draft proofing, using more efficient appliances / boilers, and upgrading controls for when systems like heating are operating.
  • Checking your building to see if it has an energy performance certificate (EPC) or display energy certificate (DEC) as this may provide some recommendations for changes that you can make.
  • Considering the use of a thermal imaging camera to help identify where you may be losing heat from the building.

ACRE has published a net zero design guide specifically for village and community halls that brings together a range of information on how to improve the energy efficiency of such buildings, as well as providing some case studies from across the country. The guide is available here.  Please be aware that the Council does not endorse any of the companies mentioned within this guide.

Case studies have been provided below of what communities within the borough have done to make their buildings more energy efficient.

There may be funding sources available to help with the cost of any works. Our Community Grants may be relevant, alongside grants available from Hampshire County Council and other organisations. Some links are available from this page that may help identify funding sources.

There is also some funding available for alternative energy options, however, you would need to consider these options carefully, including whether certain technologies would appropriate given the energy needs. For more information see the Renewable Energy webpage.

If you are considering making alterations it is important to find out whether or not you will need to apply for consent / permission for example through building regulations or planning permission. If the alterations would be to a listed building you may also need listed building consent for any works. If planning permission or listed building consent is needed, you could also seek pre-application advice for the works.

You may also want to understand the local carbon footprint to help identify the activities that have the biggest impact and perhaps where a difference can be made. There are a number of tools and resources to help individuals look at their own carbon footprints but you can also look at information for communities, for example using the IMPACT Community Carbon Calculator or Place Based Carbon Calculator.