After a successful first round in 2024, Southwark Community Energy Fund is now open for applications from all groups with charitable or not-for-profit aims which are based or work within Southwark.
The fund will provide grants of up to £50,000 to support community energy projects that reduce carbon emissions or save energy. This could be through renewable energy (such as solar panels or heat pumps), measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, or workshops or training that tackle fuel poverty. There is also funding available to help groups of residents or neighbours come together and form a community energy group or cooperative.
In total 22 projects were awarded funding in the first round, which included a wide variety of projects. Example projects from the first funding round include:
- new renewable heating systems at Westminster Youth Club, using infrared technology
- a whole building LED lighting upgrade at Bermondsey Central Hall
- a series of fuel poverty workshops that deliver education, awareness, and empowerment around energy issues for women and girls in Southwark
- a pre-feasibility study into low-carbon technologies and energy saving measures for Kingswood House
- feasibility studies for a community owned rooftop solar project
The application window will close on 6 April 2025, and advice is available from council officers by emailing communityenergy@southwark.gov.uk.
For interested groups there will be an online information session on Thursday 13 February at 6pm. This will be a good opportunity to hear from council officers, experts in the sector and ask questions.
Councillor John Batteson, the council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs and Business said “I am delighted to launch the latest round of Southwark Community Energy Fund, which will provide more vital funding to our community groups, schools and faith groups to help them make their buildings more environmentally-friendly.
“The success of our first round showed that there is a huge appetite for community-led climate action. With another round of funding we are continuing to support this ambition and helping our community groups to tackle carbon emissions, save money and reduce fuel poverty.”
Westminster Youth Club were awarded funding for a new infrared heating system in their Nunhead youth centre. Speaking about the grant, the club’s Director Katie Worthington said “This funding has been crucial for us to upgrade our youth club with a new heating system that will help us to keep ourselves warm more efficiently. We’ve been able to replace our old boilers and now we can use energy from our solar panels to power our infrared heating system and keep our bills down.”
The are four streams available for applicants, which cover a range of different stages in project development. Applicants should consider which stream best fits a project or idea before applying. If they are unsure, the council team are available to help advise.
- Stream A – Pre-feasibility development
- Stream B – Feasibility studies for new projects and business case development
- Stream C – Capital funding for project implementation and delivery
- Stream D – Capacity building, training, events and engagement
The fund is for community buildings and is not available for private residential properties. It is also not available for commercial groups and organisations.
On four different dates the council will be holding open surgeries with council officers. This will be a chance to get feedback on a project idea ahead of an application. If you have a project idea, you can book a 20-minute slot through Eventbrite (links below). The sessions will take place on the following dates:
27 February 2025, 12.30pm to 5pm, 132 Queen's Rd, London SE15 2HP
13 March 2025, 3.30pm to 6.30pm, online
19 March 2025, 12.30pm to 5pm, 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2QH
24 March 2025, 3.30pm to 6.30pm, online
Full information on the fund, including details on requirements, eligibility and scoring criteria are available via the webpages