Powering Communities Fund
Everybody wins with the Younity Powering Communities Fund… especially all those diverse and determined power-producing community groups across the country. In fact, we’re delighted to be able to support their ambitions with financial grants.
How it works
We want more businesses and individuals to power their homes and workplaces through community-produced energy. That means buying through ethical tariffs… and there’s none better than Co-op Energy’s Community Power Tariff.
For every new customer that switches to the Community Power tariff, we’ll add a tenner to the Powering Communities Fund pot. No questions, no quibbles… we love doing it.
Throughout the year community groups from across the country will apply for financial grants to help them start or improve their community energy project. And twice a year we’ll dip into our pot to give away free financial grants to the successful applicants.
Considering Younity is a newbie in the world of community energy, we’re pretty excited to have already donated thousands of pounds. That means groups like Southill Community Energy, Brighton Energy Co-operative and Awel Aman Tawe can continue to change the way we produce and consume power.
Apply for the fundBecome an affiliate
Along with our friends at Your Co-op Energy, we’ve forged an affiliate partnership programme that brings together community energy producers from around the country.
Together we’re working collaboratively to develop new products and business models, to ensure the wider public and their communities truly benefit.
Powering Communities Fund case studies
Burnham & Weston
In partnership with Weston College, Burnham & Weston's vision is to enable young people within their local community deliver a Community Energy Youth Summit. Both partners recognise how important it is to listen to young people as they have been the demographic that has been most difficult to engage. This engagement project will enable the partnership to both see and hear what opportunities are needed locally for community energy youth support.
Isles of Scilly Community Venture
Isles of Scilly Community Venture are looking to engage local young people to grow awareness about where energy comes from on the their islands. The youth engagement team will be running a series of workshops with local school children discussing the sources of electricity, and the sustainability of the energy sources of local transport. This engagement initiative will introduce them to the ways they can measure this with the data they have available. The school children will be invited to unleash their creativity to design exciting digital ways of communicating their ideas. Finally, designs that young people have created in the workshops will be built as real energy projects with live web dashboards. This information will be used to bring wider public engagement about community energy, where energy comes from and proposals as to how it can be further decarbonised.
Cwm Arian Renewables
Cwm Arian Renewable Energy would like to purchase thermal imaging household survey kits. This vitally important equipment will be used by Energy Champions and 3 peer mentors to help CARE expand its ground-breaking work in supporting vulnerable households and energy customers. Getting ready for what could be a devastating winter - with extremely high energy prices being forecast.
Rainepower
Killington Hydro (Rainepower) have some exciting news to share with their local community. They are setting up and running a much needed local Energy Club. This club will support the local community by linking the generation of the hydro energy with local people thus allowing volunteers and local residents (many elderly and potentially vulnerable) to benefit from a nearby renewable energy source. This vitally important club’s work will be carried out by Energy Local in partnership with the Trustees with the assistance of a project manager
Tamar Energy Community
Tamar Energy Community are working with a researcher at Plymouth University on how best to utilise and access substation and domestic meter data. They want to combine this information to help them develop a young person's net zero champions community at each of their solar sites. The funding will allow them to secure SMETS meter data, provide engagement materials and external support for working with young people.
Apply for the fund
Complete this form to register your interest in applying for the Powering Communities Fund.