Hounslow Council has relaunched its Hounslow Community Energy Fund (HCEF) for 2025/26, with £150,000 available to support community projects that cut carbon and save energy.
Published: Monday, 18th November 2024
Community groups in Hounslow can now apply for the third round of the Council’s £150,000 Community Energy Fund. The fund will help community groups make significant steps towards reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency.
All constituted community groups can apply for grants of up to £40,000 to implement energy-saving enhancements to their buildings. These grants can support carbon or energy-related projects, such as fabric upgrades, renewable energy installations, and heating technology improvements. By helping to cut carbon and save energy, the HCEF will enable communities to reinvest the savings back into their essential services and community-led initiatives.
The HCEF, funded through Hounslow’s Carbon Offset Fund, gives local groups the opportunity to decarbonise their spaces as part of Hounslow’s journey to net zero. In 2023, Round 2 of the HCEF supported five projects, with over £140,000 of funds used to enhance the energy efficiency of a variety of community buildings, including churches, a boathouse, and a local ecology centre. Projects ranged from fabric retrofits –improvements to buildings that make them more energy efficient, using less energy to heat, cool, or light the space – to solar PV installations and LED lighting upgrades.
Councillor Katherine Dunne, Lead Member for Climate, Environment and Transport Strategy, said:
“Hounslow’s strength is in its community. The Hounslow Community Energy Fund provides a fantastic opportunity for local groups to lead the way in creating impactful sustainable energy practices. We are committed to supporting projects that have a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions and improving the quality of community spaces across the borough. By helping our community buildings reduce their energy costs, we are also enabling them to redirect those savings into the services they provide to local residents.”
How to apply
Community groups have until Sunday, 2 March 2025 at 11:59pm to submit their ideas for cutting carbon and saving energy and will find out the decision in the spring. Hounslow’s Community Energy Fund could help to make it become a reality.
Visit Hounslow’s Community Energy Fund for full details on eligibility and how to apply.
The council is also hosting an online webinar on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 from 5pm to 5:45pm to explain the fund in more detail and answer questions. Community groups can join the webinar here or email environment.strategy@hounslow.gov.uk for an invite.
