Help for community buildings in drive to become the greenest corner of Somerset

Five funded energy audits for community buildings are available as Burnham & Weston Energy partners with Community Council for Somerset to help the Highbridge, Burnham-on-Sea, and Mark area become the greenest corner of Somerset.

Funded energy audits for community buildings

The energy audits will help community groups to identify priority measures needed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings they own or lease. Measures advised could include how to decarbonise heating systems, where to install insulation and swap to LED lighting, and even consider the installation of Electric Vehicle charging points. Showing where energy and carbon can be saved, the audits will also give an understanding of the payback (in years) of each investment and annual cost savings. They will be open to existing facilities wanting to retrofit and update facilities, as well as new builds.

Unlocking financing of energy efficiency improvements

On receipt of their audit the community groups will be supported to work together to identify common solutions, testing a collaborative approach to unlocking funding and other resources to enable recommended energy efficiency improvements to be made. Participating halls will also receive one hour of 1-2-1 funding advice from CCS Community Buildings Network.

Sally Sargent, Community Buildings Coordinator for CCS said: “CCS supports community buildings across Somerset, and we are really pleased to be working with Burnham & Weston Energy on this project. These energy audits are the first step in this local initiative, with hall managers working together to find new opportunities for energy reduction in their buildings, helping to ensure that these much-loved venues continue to thrive in the future.”

Lynda Wookey, Director of Impact & Development for Burnham & Weston Energy explained: “This is an exciting opportunity to explore how we can support community groups in a drive to improve the energy efficiency of community buildings in our area. Working with CCS will also help us to see how we can together strengthen community groups chances of securing funding to install the recommended measures, and whether Burnham & Weston Energy could potentially be part of that mix either through contribution from our Sunshine Fund or via an innovative community investment plan.”

Are we eligible to apply?

To be eligible, community buildings must be run by groups with charitable objectives and have spaces available for public hire. Successful halls will be notified in July and will be asked to contribute £50 to the cost of their audit to secure their place on the scheme.

Your building must also be located in Highbridge, Burnham-on-Sea, Mark or the surrounding area.