Renewable energy installations for both domestic and community buildings are supported by a variety of local and national capital grant schemes. This page lists the currently-active schemes, and provides links to full details.
PLEASE NOTE - for the grant schemes below, SWEA maintains a list of local accredited installers (updated 28 Sept) who are able to carry out the work. You must use one of these installers to be eligible for the local grants.
Since July 2008, grants have been available for domestic microgeneration to all residents
of Gloucestershire county (Gloucester City, Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District, Stroud District,
Tewkesbury Borough, and Forest of Dean District). The grant limit is £1,000 and up to two
technologies are covered for each property. The number of grants is limited and the scheme has
proved highly popular so far, so early applications are recommended.
>> FULL DETAILS
For those residing in the South Gloucestershire unitary authority area, the SG Futurenergy
programme has been running since the end of 2007, and offers a flat-rate grant of £500 for domestic
microgeneration technologies. Again, the number of grants is limited, so apply early to secure your grant. In addition,
low-cost subsidised loans are available to help with the cost of installation.
>> FULL DETAILS
IN ADDITION to either of the above schemes, householders are eligible to apply for limited grants from the Government's national Low Carbon Buildings Programme 'Phase 1'. This offers funding from 20-50%, depending on the technology, with an overall maximum of £2,500 per household. The LCBP involves a separate application, but your chosen installer can often help with the application procedure. Full details are available at http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/how/householders/
SWEA has extensive experience in working with community buildings, including village halls, Parish Councils, schools, and some churches. We are sometimes able to offer free support to community buildings, by way of an energy survey and full written report with recommendations. We can also provide free telephone advice on accessing grants for sustainable energy measures. There are currently two national grant schemes applicable to community buildings, detailed below. These schemes can be matched to provide up to 100% funding in some cases.
Any community microgeneration scheme should be eligible for a 50% grant from the Government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme 'Phase 2' scheme. The Phase 2 grants are available to community and public sector buildings (including schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities), and the programme is administered through a network of seven core 'framework suppliers', each of whom specialise in one or more renewable technologies. SWEA can also put you in contact with our network of local accredited installers, who are each contracted as delivery partners to these national framework suppliers. Full details of the national scheme are available at http://www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk/
A grant scheme called the Community Sustainable Energy Programme was launched in early 2008 by BRE, and this offers up to 50% grants for small-scale renewables technologies, as well as energy efficiency measures. It can be matched with the LCBP Phase 2 (above), such that it may be possible to achieve 100% grant funding for renewables in certain instances. You must apply to the LCBP Phase 2 first though.
SWEA is listed as a registered consultant organisation for 'project development studies' (funded up to 75%) under the CSEP scheme. Full details are available at http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk/