Smart Energy GB in Communities Smart Meter Fund, Resource Centre and Newsletter

[ALEO Admin]

From 6 June, grants between £10,000 to £25,000 are available from the Smart Energy GB Communities Fund, for regional not-for-profit organisations, to ensure that harder-to-reach, priority-group householders are not left behind in the rollout of smart meters.

These larger grants are in addition to smaller grants of up to £10,000 already available for community organisations who will work directly with one or more of the priority groups on projects to be completed in 2016.

Smart Energy GB is a consortium made up of National Energy Action (NEA), Energy Action Scotland, Media Trust, and the Charities Aid Foundation, aiming to engage people and communities across Britain with information about how to get and use smart meters.

Organisations, applying for the Fund are required to work with those who may face barriers to getting a smart meter, including:

• District heating customers (district heating is a system where a communal source of heat is shared with other properties)
• People lacking proficiency in English (or Welsh in Wales)
• People lacking basic digital skills
• People with a learning disability
• People with low literacy
• People with memory impairment
• People with no personal internet access
• Off-gas grid customers
• Prepay customers
• Private tenants
• People with severe or profound deafness
• Social housing tenants

Applicants will also need to demonstrate:

• why your project is effective in meeting the need
• an understanding of the barriers facing those you support and how best to reach and
  engage them with your project
• value for money e.g. maximising reach and benefit through working with other organisations

Smart Energy GB are also interested to see new, bold and replicable solutions to the challenge of spreading the word about smart meters.

Applicants for the larger grants between £10,000 and £25,000 will also need to demonstrate:

• regional/large-scale engagement across networks, branches or members
• interventions of sufficient depth to ensure people move towards action
• monitoring systems that enable you to measure changes in awareness, understanding and behaviour

You can apply until 30 September 2016; however, funds will need to be used by 31 December 2016. You will also be able to reapply in 2017, though priority groups could change.

For more information and to apply, visit:
https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/our- ... y-gb-grant

Free Resources, such as leaflets and training resources, are also available to any organisation that want to help to spread on smart meters, from the Smart Energy GB Resource centre
https://www.smartenergygb.org/en/resour ... rce-centre

For the latest Smart Energy GB in Communities newletter, visit:
http://29gig.r.ca.d.sendibm2.com/6h4actadu1vf.html

To sign up to receive the newsletter, visit:
http://www.nea.org.uk/smartenergygb/e-newsletter/