DECC announces £30 million for community green schemes

Published by Julien Tremblin for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Environment, Local Government

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has today announced funding of £10 million for local community energy projects and a £20 million boost to the existing public sector energy efficiency loan scheme.

The new £10 million Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF), announced by Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, will be run as a competition.

It will be managed by a number of community networks and administered by the Energy Saving Trust and give the chance to around 200 community organisations to "get to grips" with energy efficiency and renewable energy generation.

Organisations including parish councils, voluntary associations, development trusts and faith groups are all eligible to apply.

There is around £50,000 available for each successful community. It is mean to be used to help assess the potential for energy efficiency and local renewable energy generation and get things started in local communities. This is a short-term scheme where work will need to be completed by the end of March 2012.

Chris Huhne said: “This is great news for the public sector. Not only do we need to encourage energy efficiency in our schools, hospitals and universities, we also need to get green energy generation and energy efficiency into our communities.

"That’s why we are also making £10 million available for communities to help spur an energy revolution at a local level.”

The additional £20 million in loans to improve energy efficiency has been made available for public sector energy efficiency projects in England before the end of March 2012.

It is meant to help organisations save money on energy bills and reduce carbon emissions. The loans are provided for energy efficiency projects that are repaid within five years through lower energy bills.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “The Government is making huge changes to the UK’s energy system, including reforms to the electricity market to make sure that we can replace aging power stations and keep the lights on in the cheapest, cleanest way, and the Green Deal, the biggest home energy efficiency drive since the Second World War.

"I want to make sure that local communities are at the heart of this energy revolution, and this funding will help make sure that can happen.”

Peter Lipman, Chair of Communities and Climate Action Alliance said: “I'm delighted that Government is recognising that communities' pivotal role in responding to climate change needs to be supported. This fund is a great way for some communities to better understand their energy needs and opportunities, and will help them to react to Government policies such as the Green Deal.”

The announcement comes at a time when the Department of Energy and Climate Change is cutting feed-in tariff (FIT) payments by more than half for solar schemes completed after 12 December.

Community organisations can get details on how to apply for the LEAF here.