East Suffolk Community Energy Programme: An Introduction to Community Energy

Introductory webinar on what community energy is for communities in East Suffolk

An introductory webinar for community organisations in East Suffolk interested in warmer buildings, lower bills, and local renewables.

Many communities are trying to respond to very practical challenges: rising energy costs, cold or inefficient buildings, fuel poverty, climate change, local resilience, and how to make sure the energy transition works for local people.

Community energy is one way communities can take practical action. It can include locally owned renewable energy projects, solar panels on schools or community buildings, energy advice, retrofit support, fuel poverty work, low-carbon transport, energy storage, and other local projects shaped around local needs.

This webinar will introduce community energy from the ground up. Rather than assuming you already know the sector or the technology, we will start with the kinds of issues community organisations are already seeing in their places, and explore how community energy approaches might help.

The Centre for Sustainable is working alongside Community Energy England, Ashden and East Suffolk Council to deliver a support programme for community groups looking to develop energy projects in their local area.

The session will be led by community energy practitioners Saskya Huggins and Sonya Bedford, who have extensive experience working in the community energy sector.

What we will cover:

• The local issues community energy can help respond to, including energy bills, fuel poverty, community buildings and practical climate action
• What community energy is, and why it is about more than wind turbines and solar farms
• How community-led renewable energy projects can work in practice
• How local ownership, participation and reinvestment can create wider community benefit
• Examples of different community energy activities, from solar projects to energy advice and retrofit support
• What groups need to think about when getting started, including governance, skills, funding and local partnerships

Who is this session for?

This webinar is for community organisations, faith groups, local authorities and local networks that are curious about whether community energy could be relevant to their work in East Suffolk

Future Energy Landscapes:

As part of the community energy support programme being delivered in East Suffolk we will be hosting Future Energy Landscapes workshops in four communities

• Halesworth with Halesworth Area Sustainability Hub
• Leiston with Net Zero Leiston
• Framlingham with Greener Framlingham
• Around the River Deben with Transition Woodbridge and Deben Climate Centre

This webinar will help to build knowledge on what community energy is that can be built upon through these workshops