Grants of up to £4k making Lancaster's community buildings more energy efficient

As part of its national £30,000 Community Benefit Programme, which Thrive started in 2015, eligible buildings, such as village halls and community centres, can use the funding to cover energy saving measures including insulation, draught proofing, improved heating or lighting controls and LED lighting, amongst others. Communities can also access free expert advice on zero-cost solutions as part of the scheme.

The support comes as the UK government set in law the world’s most ambitious climate change target in April, with an aim to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.

Buildings must be located within a 30-mile radius of its Caton Moor site – found on an area of open access moorland close to junction 33 of the M6. Thrive Renewables invested in the site in 2006 and funded a ‘re-powering’ exercise – replacement of the existing 10 turbines with just 8 more modern and efficient machines. With two fewer turbines and only a small increase in the size of each, output was increased seven-fold targeting 47 million units of electricity per annum.

Matthew Clayton, managing director at Thrive Renewables, said: “The types of buildings this programme covers – such as village halls – are fundamental to their communities. It’s really important to us that we support the people and groups that host our sites, allowing them to make improvements to important social hubs, many of which are cold, draughty and expensive to run.”

“We believe that these funds can really make a difference not only to the energy efficiency and sustainability of the spaces, but in encouraging people to continue using them for years to come, so we urge anyone running a shared building close to our Caton Moor site to check their eligibility and apply.”

Applications are administered by national energy charity, Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and open until 19th September 2021. Applicants must complete a full energy survey of the shared building using guidance supplied by CSE, which will help identify potential improvements, including zero-cost measures, and calculate carbon and cost savings for different options. More information can be found at: https://www.thriverenewables.co.uk/our-mission/community-benefit/

Now in its fifth round of funding, Thrive’s Community Benefit Programme was initially created to fill a funding gap between domestic and commercial properties. To date, it has awarded 31 grants to 23 buildings, totalling £90,000. In return, these improvements save 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

Due to Covid-19, the company repurposed its Community Benefit Programme in 2020 to help meet the urgent needs of communities living close to its projects. Over £39,000 was donated to organisations fighting poverty, loneliness and supporting education, including the Olive Branch and Morecambe foodbanks near to Thrive’s Caton Moor wind farm.

The first grant awarded in the community benefit programme was to The Victoria Institute close to Thrive’s Caton Moor wind farm.

Funding of £3,200 allowed the management committee to replace draughty doors and windows as well as install new insulation, pipe lagging and water tank jacket.

A spokesman for The Victoria Institute said:"We are extremely grateful for the grant that has enabled us to carry out these important energy saving measures."