Several community buildings are on their way to becoming more energy-efficient and cutting their energy bills.

This is thanks to funding from local community energy enterprise, Burnham and Weston Energy CIC.

It has awarded more than £22,500 in grants to help local community spaces with energy audits and lighting upgrades.

In May 2023, Burnham and Weston Energy gave £2,500 to the Community Council for Somerset to carry out energy audits on four local community buildings: Burnham Community Centre, Highbridge Community Centre, Mark Cross Community Centre, and Mark Village Hall.

(Image: Burnham and Weston Energy) An energy audit examines a building's energy use, running costs, and carbon emissions to create a tailored plan for improving efficiency.

Recommendations often include upgrading heating systems, improving insulation, installing LED lighting, and incorporating electric vehicle (EV) charging points and renewable energy options.

Jake Burnyeat, director at Burnham and Weston Energy, explained: "The goal of this pilot project was to start future-proofing community buildings across the Burnham and Weston area.

"By helping these essential spaces identify key improvements and assess the costs and benefits of each investment, we hoped to support them in becoming more efficient for hirers and more cosy for users."

The energy audit reports detailed the upfront costs, projected future savings, and the logistical aspects of implementing these upgrades.

The Community Council for Somerset provided personalised support to each community group, helping them identify shared priorities and address common challenges.

(Image: Burnham and Weston Energy) A key recommendation across all four buildings was an upgrade to LED lighting.

After reviewing the quotes gathered by the village halls, Burnham and Weston Energy awarded more than £20,000 in follow-up grants to support these upgrades for Burnham Community Centre, Highbridge Community Centre, Mark Cross Community Centre, and Mark Village Hall.

The pilot project has been a success, as shown by feedback from Paul, treasurer at Mark Cross Community Centre, who said: "We were thrilled when Community Council for Somerset told us that Burnham and Weston Energy had awarded us a grant to carry out the lighting upgrade for which we are extremely grateful, it is a generous act of community support.

"Once we had accepted the grant offer, I contacted Swift Electronics, the successful contractor, and they booked us in within a week and completed the upgrade work very quickly.

"The lighting is so much better than the old tube lighting, making the hall so much brighter.

"Absolutely excellent."

The project’s collaborative approach, with community buildings working together, facilitated knowledge sharing, unlocked economies of scale, and enabled each community building to access additional funding and resources.