Our partners in action: making a difference in local communities

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The Community Energy Network brings together the technical expertise and practical experience of organisations who've been benefiting the local community for years. By joining partners embedded in community welfare and grassroots action with the cutting edge of knowledge and research, we have a unique opportunity to empower people to improve their lives by doing things differently.

Explore partner projects

Get to know our partners a bit better, by checking out a few of the projects they've worked on, in a community near you.

Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE)

Enabling community-owned renewable energy

BWCE is a not-for-profit community energy business. They tackle climate change and help local individuals and communities through clean energy generation, energy efficiency measures in homes and support for community projects. Their renewable energy projects include solar panels on community buildings, as well as small ground-mounted installations, and now generate over 16MW of electricity, or enough to power 6,000 homes, with the figure rising all the time.

Putting profits back into the community

The surplus they generate goes into the BWCE Community Fund, which has donated nearly half a million pounds to local projects like day centres and food banks. Watch the Community Fund in action in the video below, then discover more about the projects they've supported , and find out if your community organisation might be eligible, on the BWCE website.

Building local energy resilience

BWCE are currently setting up a pioneering Energy Local Club to use the electricity generated by Fairy Hill Solar Farm, an award-winning renewable energy project near Keynsham.

Find out how this project offers stable energy prices for local people in a time of global price instability, and whether you can get involved, on the Fairy Hill Local Club page of the BWCE website.

Find out more on the BWCE website

Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE)

Tackling fuel poverty

CSE is involved in both crisis action and longer-term strategy, to help people struggling with energy costs. Following the pandemic, fuel poverty and the cost of living became an urgent issue for many people. CSE were involved in improving local resilience, by delivering energy advice training as part of the Rural Communities Energy Support Network from 2021 to 24.

Although the project served an emergency need, the work was set up to invest in the capacity to provide ongoing help. By training voluntary organisations and frontline workers to give energy advice, skills and expertise have spread beyond the original programme. Karn Shah, programme manager, explains how this approach continues to improve quality of life for vulnerable residents: “By increasing the number of organisations able to offer knowledge and practical support, we reduce significantly the number of people struggling for affordable warmth.”

Safeguarding community spaces

CSE recognises the central importance of community buildings, especially for smaller and more rural areas. These village halls, schools and churches often serve many purposes: hosting local libraries, day centres, markets, clubs and other activities. They reinforce local identity and shared history, bringing people together and providing connection and support for more vulnerable and isolated members of the community. However, these buildings are often old and may be poorly maintained - meaning it can be a struggle to keep them safe, comfortable and warm for users. CSE's support programme for community spaces gives them the lifeline of access to expert advice, to help them minimise their repair costs and maximise their energy savings.

One recent beneficiary was Chew Stoke Village Hall, where a comprehensive building survey has helped the village look more analytically at priorities for improvements, and there is the promise of further help where needed, to manage the implementation of measures, and support to find funding for the work. “If we can make the hall more energy efficient we can keep it going financially”, says Rhian, a member of the village hall committee. “The impact to the community is huge.” Explore CSE's funding pages for community projects.

Find out more about CSE's community projects

Bath & North East Somerset Council

Prioritising climate action

Since declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019, B&NES set tackling the situation as one of its core policy priorities, through a public Climate Strategy and Action Plan. Climate action is embedded into the delivery of all council services, with many ongoing projects.

In particular, B&NES has implemented:

the introduction of a Clean Air Zone, with an overarching Journey to Net Zero Strategy for reducing the environmental impact of travel throughout our region
changes to Planning Policy to prioritise energy efficiency in new and rented buildings, extra support for retrofitting to reduce energy costs, and changes to protect biodiversity, ahead of national legislation
parking and highways schemes aimed at reducing the dominance of cars in residential areas, encouraging take-up of low emissions vehicles, making more Liveable Neighbourhoods, and opening up new and safer routes for people using more active methods of travel
an ambitious green infrastructure programme, with projects covering our whole local area

Find out more on the B&NES council website

University of Bath

Embedding sustainability on campus

The Sustainable Bath commitment is a whole-institution approach to sustainability. Commitments and policies supporting this aim include:

environmentally-friendly sports facilities, such as the UK’s first fully recyclable 3G pitch
Campus Infrastructure Sustainability Commitment
Sustainable Food Commitment
Leave No Trace campaign to reduce the environmental impact of campus catering and hospitality

Working in the wider community

The University of Bath plays a large part in the local community. Long-term partnership projects include:

Partnership with National Grid to accelerate clean energy transition
Collaborating on the Future Ambition declaration to promote a greener local economy
Fostering welfare, co-operation and stronger relationships between student population and the wider community, via the Student Community Partnership

Leading in climate and sustainability research

Academically, University of Bath research projects include cutting edge work on climate and energy related topics.

Building better, smarter and cleaner

Dr Xinyuan Ke, an expert in sustainable materials technology aimed at decarbonising the construction industry, has recently been named one of the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering by the Women’s Engineering Society. 'By combining scientific insight, data-driven tools and close collaboration with industry,' she says, 'we can accelerate the development of low-carbon construction materials and support the transition to a net-zero built environment.'

Another material science project at the University is turning innovation into sustainable solutions for improving building energy efficiency. Using a common fungus, researchers are converting hard-to-recycle construction waste into sustainable, high performance building insulation, to save energy bills and make homes more resilient in a changing climate.

Taking a people-centred approach to climate awareness

Innovative research into climate action is focusing on how to encourage widespread changes in behaviour to support a low carbon, climate resilient future. It will combine academic research with real world trials to understand what works in practice and how successful approaches can be scaled up.

The project recognises that knowledge about new technologies is only one part of changing habits and encouraging people to take action. A key aim is to move beyond technology-only solutions and place people at the centre of climate action. The team will explore what motivates people to positively engage with the climate crises, what holds them back, and how to design practical ways to support lasting change.

Find out more on the University of Bath website

The Community Wellbeing Hub

Founded to provide emergency help

The Community Wellbeing Hub brings together local organisations to make it easier for people across Bath and North East Somerset to get the help they need.
The Hub began in March 2020, when six partners came together to provide vital support during the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside more than 2,000 community volunteers recruited by 3SG. Since then, the partnership has grown to include more than 40 trusted partners, and make around 800 referrals a year.

The Hub provides a single point of contact, connecting people with a wide range of support, including energy, money and benefits, food, housing, and health and wellbeing. You don't need to know which organisation or service you need before getting in touch.

Find out more on the Community Wellbeing Hub website

Age UK Bath and North East Somerset

Age UK is the country's largest charity dedicated to helping people make the most of later life, providing companionship, national advice lines, and a network of over 120 local partners delivering community-based support. The B&NES branch works supporting people referred through our Community Wellbeing Hub. With decades of experience, they run day centres, social groups, cafe events and classes, as well as conducting research and offering a huge range of resources for people in need. Their Energy support service is just one a of a wide library of online resources.

View B&NES Age UK Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest local news and activities.

Find out more on the B&NES Age UK website

Bath and North East Somerset Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice offer accurate and authoritative support on a huge range of topics, both nationally and locally. Their Energy Supply resources offer a comprehensive library of practical guides, containing sound, impartial advice.

Bath and North East Somerset Citizens Advice help to support local people referred through the Community Wellbeing Hub. They run research and campaigns on topics of local concern and host free local drop-in events at libraries in Keynsham and Midsomer Norton.

Find out more on the B&NES Citizens Advice website

Energy in Your Community