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"Community engagement in the energy sector will be vital to our vision of the development of energy in the UK in the coming decades."

Greg Barker, Minister of State

Welcome to DECC's Community Energy Online Portal

Community Energy Online (CEO) is the Community Energy Portal of the Department of Energy and Climate Change aimed at Local Authorities and community groups.

What is Community Energy?

The Green Deal from 2012 will help improve the energy efficiency and insulation levels in our homes, schools and businesses by offering up-front loans. The next stage is lowering our carbon emissions by installing low carbon and renewable energy technologies. These help to reduce distribution losses by using local and sustainable energy resources to generate renewable heat or renewable electricity, or generate electricity as well as heat, from fossil fuels. Renewable energy can be generated from waste, biomass and industrial processes (cutting costs). Depending on the available local resources, energy projects may help to:

  • stabilise or reduce our energy bills  
  • create rotating community funds - to benefit the whole community
  • offer a return on public and private investment and community shares
  • develop financial, project and management skills
  • create jobs and use and develop technical expertise
  • create a sense of achievement and social networks to help take forward further low carbon changes and projects. 

CEO currently offers community groups links to video training on stages of the journey towards a project. Details are on the Community Energy Process page. It also offers information on funding, best practice, feasibility, planning, land ownership and case studies.

DECC has just launched its Heat Strategy, and alongside this it is launching its new National Heat Map to help local authorities map heat in their area.

The National Heat Map is a unique device that gives people reliable information about where heat networks are technically possible.  It is the only map covering the whole of England that is accurate at all zooms, and gets more and more precise the more you zero in on a location.  This is great for helping local authorities decide where their priority areas are - it underpins feasibility studies by enhancing precision and most importantly it reduces public spending at a local level."

Recent News

The Department of Communities and Local Government has announced that permitted development rights for installations of small scale renewables on non domestic premises will come into force on 6 April 2012. The non domestic package does not include permitted development rights for wind turbines and air source heat pumps.

For further information see: Department of Communities and Local Government: permitted development rights

DECC has announced funding for Green Deal apprenticeships and a £10m competition, to be launched in May, for innovative energy efficiency technologies for the non-domestic sector. For further information see: 

DECC has published statistics on levels of insulation in UK domestic properties

We are encouraging all LEAF communities to regularly update the interactive LEAF map below with ongoing details on public engagement and all other developments linked to their LEAF funding.

 

Other News and updates

DECC’s Heat Strategy: Reminder - comments by 24 May 2012

On 29 March 2012 DECC published a strategic framework for low carbon heat. We set a deadline for comments of 24 May and we are keen to hear from as many people and organisations as possible to help inform the strategy’s development and delivery.

The full document can be accessed via the DECC; Heat Strategy web page.

Comments can be sent by email to heatstrategy@decc.gsi.gov.uk

Rural Community Renewable Energy Fund : The Chancellor announced last Autumn a £15m Fund to help communities meet the upfront cost of developing renewable projects. The intention is to run this as a revolving fund. Rural communities would repay the fund on refinancing for developing after successfully receiving planning permission. Officials within DECC and Defra are jointly working on arrangements.

This is a new website to bring together potential investors and installers of community renewable energy projects.

Buy Better Together Challenge - prize

The Department for Business and Co-operatives UK have launched the Buy Better Together Challenge which is a £60k prize to inspire new models of community buying. The challenge is open to groups and organisations within the public, business or voluntary sectors and the £60k pot will go towards training and mentoring for stand out projects, including £15k for the overall winner.

LEAF update : 28 March

LEAF update : 6 February 2012

LEAF update : 16 Jan 2012

Page last modified: 25/04/2012 14:33:36

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