The Community Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP) is an open grants programme run by BRE Group as an award partner of the Big Lottery Fund (BIG). BRE Group carries out research, consultancy, training and testing to help create better buildings and communities.
The Community Sustainable Energy Programme will provide £8 million to community-based organisations for the installation of micro-generation technologies, such as solar panels or biomass boilers and energy efficiency measures including loft and cavity wall insulation. It will also provide £1 million for project development grants that will help community organisations decide if they could benefit from a micro-generation and energy efficiency installation.
The programme aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Reduction in CO2 emissions
- Increased community awareness of climate change and how changes to our behaviour can reduce it
- Increased skills base of local trades (for example, local builders and building-service subcontractors working on renewable energy projects for the first time)
- Reduction in energy bills
- Reduction in reliance on imported energy and increased independence from commercial energy suppliers
- Stronger partnerships within local communities with lasting social benefits
- Growth of local enterprise in new technologies.
Applications are being accepted now. Capital grants will be awarded on a competitive basis at quarterly Selection Panel meetings with the last deadline on 29th October 2010. Please click here for a list of the funding rounds. Project Development grants will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis until all funds are spent.
Details of all aspects of the grant application process, consultants, installers and technologies are available on the Community Sustainable http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk/ website. BRE Group also provides statistical information for all projects that have been funded, showing where the project is and the types of technologies used.
CSEP is managed by BRE. If you have any queries that are not answered on this website, please call the Changing Spaces helpline on 0845 3 671 671 or email info@communitysustainable.org.uk