How do you navigate the abundance of projects, campaigns, and organisations pushing for a sustainable, fair and affordable energy plan? London is a hub for change, and there is something for everyone. Do you want to join the renewable energy campaigns? Do you need professional advice for your home insulation? Or maybe you work in a school, and want solar panels on the roof? If there’s a good cause, chances are you’ll be able to find someone to back you up.
Today we picked 5 local and national organisations based in London. You can either join or get support from them, as an individual or as a community group.
THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION:
Repowering London
Repowering London is a community benefit society that specialises in facilitating the co-production of community-owned renewable energy projects. They aim to create resilient, empowered communities that control and own the generation and usage of renewable energy; to promote and facilitate the widescale development and local ownership of renewable energy projects across South London.
Their team provides the essential technical, financial, legal and administrative expertise needed to successfully deliver your project. They offer a range of guidance, advisory and project management services and provide access to a network of potential investors, ensuring the necessary financial backing for your community owned renewable energy project.
Get involved! Repowering is currently mentoring five community energy groups to facilitate community energy across London.
Connect with them on Twitter.
THE LOCAL AUTHORITY: RE:NEW
RE:NEW is an award-winning programme to help make London’s homes more energy efficient. The aim of RE:NEW is to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills in London’s homes. These account for around 36 per cent of the capital’s total carbon footprint. Needless to say they are also helping to achieve the ambitious target for London to be a zero carbon city by 2050.
How does it work? RE:NEW helps organisations such as London boroughs, housing associations, and universities to implement retrofit projects and alleviate fuel poverty. They offer a Support Team — an expert team providing the end-to-end support needed to get projects up, running and successfully implemented — and their framework of suppliers — which saves time and resources for organisations that are procuring retrofit services and works. Since 2009, RE:NEW has helped improve over 130,205 of London’s homes, saving around 46,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
To find out more about RE:NEW, have a look at this brochure.
Contact the RE:NEW support team at RENEW@london.gov.uk
THE NATIONAL CHARITY: National Energy Action
National Energy Action (NEA) is a national charity seeking to end fuel poverty, and ensuring that everyone can afford to live in a warm, dry home.
NEA works in partnership with central and local government, fuel utilities, housing providers, consumer groups, and voluntary organisations. They address the causes and treat the symptoms of fuel poverty. Their work encompasses all aspects of fuel poverty, but in particular emphasises the importance of greater investment in domestic energy efficiency.
NEA’s actions have brought real social change, enabling millions of vulnerable households to access grants and assistance to help them heat their homes affordably and ensuring that fuel poverty is now a key public policy concern.
Find out more about their projects
Connect with them on Twitter.
THE LOCAL COOPERATIVE: Brixton Energy
Brixton Energy (BE) is a not-for-profit co-operative creating cooperatively-owned renewable energy projects whose financial revenues stay within the local community. The BE coop is based in south London, and is currently building on the success of their award-winning Brixton Energy Solar projects with other projects aimed at creating social and environmental benefits, as well as an additional source of revenue for the local community. Efficient combined heat and power (CHP), energy storage technology, LED street lighting, and anaerobic digestion processors – which effectively convert wasted food into valuable heat, cooking gas, and plant fertilizer.
Find out more about their current projects and ways you can get involved.
Connect with them on Twitter.
THE CAMPAIGNING ORGANIZATION: Switched On London
Switched On London is campaigning for a publicly owned energy company that London can be proud of.
Who are Switched On London? A broad coalition backed by a range of community organisations, grassroots groups, NGOs and trade unions. Find out who’s involved here.
What do they want? They are calling on the Greater London Authority (GLA) – in collaboration with London boroughs – to set up a new publicly owned energy company that London can be proud of. They want a democratic alternative to the Big Six that cuts bills and cuts polluting carbon emissions. Find out more about what they want here.
More questions? They answered quite a few here.
Take a look at this brief guide to why London needs a fully licensed public energy company.
Connect with them on Twitter.
We’ve started with only 5 examples of clean, not-for-profit initiatives, but we know there are more out there. So feel free to add other similar initiatives, or share your own encounters with these organisations, campaigns, and projects. Have you collaborated with or used the services of any of the above-mentioned organisations? Do you want to share with us any other similar initiatives?
We’d love to hear from you. Join the conversation!
