Get involved with Community Energy Fortnight

Steve Cox, Engineering and Technical Director at Electricity North West

Ahead of the forthcoming Community Energy Fortnight on June 23, new research from Electricity North West reveals 72-per-cent of people in Oldham believe they have a role to play in the UK’s energy infrastructure, but 61-per-cent stated they did not know how to get involved.

Conducted by Impact Utilities, the research was commissioned to explore the British public’s understanding and interest in engaging with community and local energy.

The survey of 1,413 UK consumers highlighted that only four-per-cent of people in Oldham are actively participating in a community energy group, despite 60-per-cent admitting they would be interested if they could save money.

Steve Cox, Engineering and Technical Director at Electricity North West, said: “Our energy landscape is evolving at a rapid pace and our communities will play an increasingly critical role in this evolution.

"It’s positive to see that almost three quarters of people from Oldham share the same belief in terms of the contribution they can make to our energy infrastructure, but there’s clearly lots of work still to be done to ensure they understand how they can participate.”

When asked what aspects of community energy involvement appeal to them, the top motivator was money saving (60-per-cent), followed by reducing their carbon footprint (40-per-cent) and increasing their energy efficiency (33-per-cent).

Carbon Coop is a North West based Community Benefit society that works to help householders and communities make big reductions in their energy use and carbon emissions. 

Its CEO Jonathan Atkinson added: “While the changing energy sector presents significant opportunities for community and local energy groups to work with network operators, such as Electricity North West, a lack of understanding among consumers remains a large barrier as highlighted by this research.

“In those communities where local energy groups are already active, the benefits are tangible so we’re keen to continue our collaborative work to ensure more people can see the advantages community involvement can bring, not just locally, but nationally also.

"We’re understandably excited for the future of Britain’s energy infrastructure and the key role community and local energy groups in Oldham will increasingly play in this.”

Alongside the research, Electricity North West has launched its Community and Local Energy Strategy, which sets out its vision for supporting the growth of community energy, a key strand of the organisation’s wider strategy for meeting the UK’s target of achieving an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 and building a smarter and more flexible power network for the future.

The strategy will be officially launched at the Community Energy Conference, which is co-hosted by Community Energy England and Co-op Energy, on June 23 at University of Manchester.

Following detailed stakeholder engagement, Electricity North West’s Community and Local Energy Strategy focuses heavily upon early engagement with community and local energy groups and the importance of collaboration and innovation.