In May 2023, Burnham and Weston Energy awarded £2,500 to Community Council for Somerset’s Smart Communities programme to conduct energy audits for four local community buildings: Burnham Community Centre, Highbridge Community Centre, Mark Cross Community Centre, and Mark Village Hall.
An energy audit assesses a building’s energy use, running costs, and carbon emissions to develop a tailored plan for improving efficiency. Recommendations often include upgrading heating systems, improving insulation, installing LED lighting, and incorporating EV charging points and renewable energy options. Jake Burnyeat, Director at Burnham and Weston Energy, explained:
“The goal of this pilot project was to start future-proofing community buildings across the Burnham and Weston area. By helping these essential spaces identify key improvements and assess the costs and benefits of each investment, we hoped to support them in becoming more efficient for hirers and more cosy for users.”
The energy audit reports detailed the upfront costs, projected future savings, and the logistical aspects of implementing these upgrades. Smart Communities provided personalised support to each community group, assisting them in identifying shared priorities and addressing common challenges.
A key recommendation across all four buildings was upgrading to LED lighting. After reviewing the subsequent quotes gathered by the village halls, Burnham and Weston Energy awarded over £20,000 in follow-up grants to support these upgrades for Burnham Community Centre, Highbridge Community Centre, Mark Cross Community Centre, and Mark Village Hall.
Images: New LED Lighting installations at Mark Cross Community Centre.
The pilot project has been a resounding success, as illustrated by feedback from Paul, Treasurer at Cross Memorial Hall.
‘We were thrilled when Community Council for Somerset told us that Burnham and Weston Energy had awarded us a grant to carry out the lighting upgrade for which we are extremely grateful, it is a generous act of community support. Once we had accepted the grant offer I contacted Swift Electronics the successful contractor and they booked us in within a week and completed the upgrade work very quickly…The lighting is so much better than the old tube lighting making the hall so much brighter. Absolutely excellent.’
The project’s collaborative approach, with community buildings working together, facilitated knowledge sharing, unlocked economies of scale, and enabled each community building to access additional funding and resources.
From left to right: New LED lighting installations at Burnham Community Centre and Mark Village Hall.
Funding for this project was available through Burnham and Weston Energy’s Sunshine Fund. If you manage a community building and are interested in reducing bills, energy use, and carbon emissions, please visit our Sunshine Fund page for more information.
About Burnham and Weston Energy:
Burnham and Weston Energy CIC is a not-for-profit local energy enterprise that operates a 9.3MW community solar farm at Wick Farm, between Burnham-on-Sea and Weston super-Mare. The 36,000 panel solar array has been up and running since 2016, generating electricity for the equivalent of over 2,000 homes.
The electricity generated by the solar farm is sold to the grid and surplus income (after covering operating and finance costs) is put to work to support a home energy advice team which is helping 500 households per year, provide grants to local community projects, and fund renewables and energy efficiency measures for local schools and community buildings.
As a not for profit community interest company, Burnham and Weston Energy prioritises supporting community organisations and households with the greatest need.
About CCS:
CCS (Community Council for Somerset) is a leading local charity that works in the heart of Somerset’s communities to inspire and enable positive change. Through its wide network of passionate local experts and diverse projects, consultancy and funding, CCS brings the right people and services together to improve the lives of individuals; building community capacity and support for emerging and existing enterprises right across the county – helping Somerset to thrive.
CCS is part of the ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) Network. The ACRE Network is England’s largest rural grouping of community support agencies. Together, we have been making a difference for rural communities since the 1920s. This includes support for rural businesses, enabling delivery of essential health and social services through ‘fit for purpose’ village halls, good neighbours’ schemes, and helping develop affordable housing to meet local needs.
For more information visit https://ccslovesomerset.org