Warm Homes for Sheffield

Community Owned Renewable Energy

Sheffield Community Energy (SCE) is affiliated to Community Energy England. It aims to encourage and support the setting up of community energy projects within Sheffield and the surrounding region.

Contact: sheffieldcommunityenergy@gmail.com

Sheffield Renewables is a Community Benefit Society run by volunteers and owned by members. It funds, develops, owns and operates renewable energy schemes financed through investment from members of the community. Any surplus earnings are re-invested to support new work as well as benefiting people and communities in Sheffield through its Community Benefit Fund. They currently run five solar schemes across South Yorkshire and have been involved in hydro and wind development.

Contacts: info@sheffieldrenewables.org.uk or phone 0114 250 8367

Retrofit

SY Ecofit is a Community Interest Company established by Sheffield residents in 2023 to help decarbonise South Yorkshire. They specialise in domestic retrofit and energy efficiency improvements, offering professional surveys, independent guidance and installation services for a range of measures including insulation, heat pumps, solar PV and ventilation systems. They are working to build the local supply chain to develop more green jobs and retain money in the local economy. They are also developing Green Energy projects. Operating as a social enterprise, SY Ecofit reinvests surplus revenue into expanding their impact across South Yorkshire communities.

Contact: info@ecofit.uk

Upper Don Community Energy is a Community Benefits Society that is member-owned and run by volunteers within the Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency area. The organisation focuses on enhancing energy efficiency and offers retrofit advice to help improve energy use in local homes and businesses. Additionally, Upper Don Community Energy supports educational initiatives and provides valuable information on the installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems. Through its efforts, the society aims to empower the community in making informed choices about energy use and sustainability.

Contact: UDCommunityEnergy@gmail.com or phone 07707 762995

Let Zero is an 18-month project to develop ‘end-to-end solutions’, powered by AI, to give landlords a trusted path for upgrading their properties into warmer, healthier and more cost-effective homes. It intends to establish a precedent for decarbonisation in the private rented sector. The research project, funded by Innovate UK, will initially involve 200 homes in South Yorkshire.

Contact: ed.ogbee@pureleapfrog.org

Grants, Cost of Living and Practical Advice

National Energy Action (NEA) offers a free service providing energy advice and help to householders in England and Wales on bills, support with fuel debt and keeping warm and safe in the home, as well as help with benefits advice and income maximisation. It also operates a Community Retrofit Hub in Sheffield to provide help and support with accessing grants for home energy efficiency retrofit measures, such as insulation or renewable energy sources, including help with grant applications and advice on suitable measures.

Contact: Sheffield.Energy@NEA.org.uk or 01145537677

Green Doctors are trained energy-efficiency experts who provide vulnerable residents with free advice and support in their own homes, over the telephone, or by way of workshop events. They work with housing associations and local authorities across the UK to ensure that their services are reaching the people who need them most.

Contacts: greendoctoryorkshire@groundwork.org.uk or phone 0300 303 3292.

Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP) have friendly home energy advisors to visit you at home. They will provide energy advice and discuss ways to help save money by reducing your energy bills and they may install easy measures in your home to help keep the home more energy efficient. During the visit the Home Energy Advisor can help with energy supplier issues or refer you forwards for energy trust funds after a benefit check with Income Maximisation. If you are a homeowner or a privately rented tenant the home energy advisor may check what insulation you have and, with your consent, share your details grant awarding bodies to find you funding for insulation measures.

Contacts: see https://applyforleap.org.uk/apply/ or phone 0800 060 7567

Warm Homes Sheffield (WHS) is a collaboration between Sheffield City Council and Agility Eco. WHS is available to residents in all tenures of home and provide access to a range of energy advice, support and potential funding. The aim is to make homes more energy efficient and reduce fuel bills.

WHS energy advice services include home visits and free simple energy saving measures such as LED lightbulbs, radiator reflectors and draught proofing. It also provides signposting to other specialists, such as help with energy debts. WHS funding advice services cover a range of grants and schemes to help make homes more energy efficient. These include: ECO4; the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) Flex; Connected 4 Warmth and the Warm Homes Local Grant (due in Spring 2025).

Contacts: see www.warmhomessheffield.org.uk or phone 0800 107 8882

Upper Don Community Energy’s ‘Community Warming’ initiative uses grant funding to provide ‘retrofit light’ installations for individuals with chronic illnesses or those facing fuel poverty. Community Warming supplies free LED bulbs, draught-proofing materials, thermal curtains, and radiator foil backing. Additionally, they offer a thermal imaging survey service, which includes a report highlighting areas of heat loss in homes and businesses.

Contact: UDCommunityEnergy@gmail.com or phone 07707 762995