Community and Living

Community Building Energy Resilience Grants Guidance

In this section

1. Overview

This programme provides £50,000 in grant funding to support community buildings to reduce energy costs, improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions.

Grants can support the costs of energy audits and part fund the installation of energy efficiency measures, renewable energy, and low carbon technologies.

2. Types of grants

Two grants are available:

Energy audits

Up to £500 is available per community building to contribute towards the commissioning of an energy audit.

There is no mandatory requirement for match funding for this element.

Applications for energy audits will be required to provide a brief justification of why the audit is needed and what energy-related challenges it will seek to address.

Building improvement measures

Grants for a minimum of £3,000 and a maximum of £20,000 will be available per project to install physical energy improvement measures into a community building.

Applicants will be expected to provide match funding from other sources. There is no set minimum amount of match funding required, although applicants will need to consider the value for money assessment criteria as set out below.

Applications can be made at any time during the year by filling in our digital application form.

Applications will be assessed against several key criteria and must meet a minimum scoring threshold to be eligible for funding.

3. Eligibility

Wychavon based voluntary and community sector non-profit groups and organisations can apply including:

· Charities and charitable trusts
Unincorporated associations (with a governing document and bank account)
Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
Community Interest Companies (CICs)
Parish and town council
Individuals, schools or businesses are not eligible for these grants.

4. Eligible projects

Projects must demonstrably contribute to reducing energy consumption, cutting carbon emissions and improving resilience to future energy price increases.

Energy audits

The funding makes a contribution toward the costs associated with commissioning a building energy audit.

Energy audits in the UK are systematic assessments of how, where and when energy is consumed in a building. They identify inefficiencies, calculate cost savings and provide a clear roadmap to reduce energy bills and carbon footprints.

Building improvement measures

The funding supports the capital costs associated with the installation of energy efficiency measures, renewable energy and low carbon technologies. This includes, but is not limited to, the following measures:

Energy efficiency

Insulation (roof, walls, floors)
Draught proofing
Double/triple glazing or secondary glazing
LED lighting upgrades
Heating system controls (smart controls, zoning)
Boiler upgrades (high-efficiency systems)

Renewable energy

Solar PV
Solar thermal
Battery storage (where paired with renewables)

Low carbon technologies

Heat pumps
Infrared heating
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR)

5. Ineligible projects

Grants will not be available for projects that involve:

Retrospective audits or installations or works currently in progress
Routine maintenance or repairs (including routine inspections/audits)
Fossil fuel heating systems (unless as transitional with strong justification)

6. Application and assessment Process

Applications can be made at any time during the year by filling in the digital application form.

When we receive your application, we will send you an acknowledgement.

We will check you are eligible for a grant and have provided all the information we need and, where relevant, any supporting information. We will contact you if we need more information.

Our Climate and Nature Panel will assess all eligible applications.

The Panel will make funding recommendations to ourExecutive Board who will make the final decision about whether your application is successful. We will notify you of the outcome of your application within ten days of the Executive Board decision being made.

Although there is a rolling application process, as applications need to be considered by the Climate and Nature Panel, there are cut-off dates for receiving applications to be considered at designated Panel meetings. These are set out on the Wychavon Resilience Grants webpage.

7. Scoring criteria (building improvement measures only)

We will assess and score applications the criteria set out in the table below

Applications will be considered primarily on a first come first served basis. However, they will be expected to meet a minimum score to be considered eligible.

If the number of applications received exceeds the amount of funding available, then there will need to be a comparative judgement made. The assessment scores (see below) will be a key factor in any decision making.

To be successful, your project should:

Have a clear purpose that addresses a demonstrable energy-related challenge which would improve the sustainability and viability of the building.
Deliver good carbon savings for the amount of grant requested.
Achieve meaningful energy reductions and/or increase renewable energy production.
Be ready to deliver without significant delay.

Each criterion will be given a score from 1 to 5 and carry different weightings which will be used to calculate the total.

Applications will be assessed using the scoring framework below:

Criteria	Weighting	Expectations
Need and impact	20%	Provide a clear description of the project, the issue that it is intending to address and the impact it would have on the building You should describe: · Current energy costs and challenges · Condition/efficiency of the building · How the project will benefit users · If the project helps to deliver on any aims in the organisation’s climate/environment/ sustainability plan (if applicable). Projects will score higher where there is: · Clear evidence of high energy costs or energy inefficient buildings · Strong community benefit (e.g. frequent use, essential services) · A clear explanation of how the project will improve sustainability and/or viability
Greenhouse gas emissions	20%	Using the energy saving/generation data you should provide an estimated greenhouse gas saving in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). Please see guidance below about calculatng greenhouse gas savings. Higher scores will be achieved by projects that have a larger carbon saving relative to the scale of the project, the measures included and the amount of grant requested. Evidence of impact will also be considered.
Energy saving and/or generating	40%	We are looking for projects that lead to savings in energy use and/or reduce energy use from higher carbon sources (such as gas and oil). This also includes the production of renewable energy on site. You should show: · Estimated annual energy savings (kWh) for each energy/fuel source · Approximate percentage change in the building’s energy use compared to existing (if known) · Estimated renewable energy produced on site (kWh and % of total energy use) Projects will score higher if they: · Deliver significant reductions in energy consumption · Reduce reliance on high-carbon energy (i.e. gas and oil) · Increase renewable energy production · Provide evidence of impact
Project readiness	20%	We want to fund projects that are ready and able to be delivered quickly. You should demonstrate: · Defined scope of works · Quotes or cost estimates · Any required permissions and whether they have been approved · A realistic delivery timescale You should provide information on what steps have already been taken to progress the project prior to the application and highlight what still needs to be addressed for it go forward successfully. Projects will score higher if they: · Are fully developed and ready to start · Have quotes in place · Can be delivered within 12 months

Following the assessment process, the total score will guide the eligibility of the project for funding and help determine the decision. This will be considered on the following basis:

Fail

Score: less than 20

Projects will not be funded.

Typically indicates:

· Limited energy or carbon savings

· Poor justification of need

· Early-stage or uncertain delivery

Discretionary pass

Score: 20 – 34

Projects may be supported, especially where:

· The grant request is relatively small

· Is a good candidate for quick-win / low-risk measures

· The project delivers specific local benefits

· There is a clear case of need (e.g. high energy costs, vulnerable users)

These projects:

· May be approved at discretion of the panel

· May be asked to improve scope or provide more evidence

Pass

Score: 35 or more

Projects are considered strong and fundable.

Typically demonstrates:

· Good or excellent £/tCO₂e value

· Meaningful energy savings (10–30%+)

· Renewable energy generation

· Clear community benefit and need

· Ready to deliver

8. Calculating greenhouse gas savings

Greenhouse gas emission savings are estimated by calculating how much energy your project will save each year and converting this into carbon savings using standard conversion factors.

For example, energy savings in electricity or heating fuels (such as gas or oil) are multiplied by agreed carbon factors to give annual emissions savings in kilograms of CO₂e.

Simple estimates are acceptable, and applicants are encouraged to use the conversion factors from the UK Government’s latest Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors dataset.

The latest version is for 2026 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2026

A simple calculator has been provided to assist. All you need to do is enter the expected energy saving resulting from each measure.

If you have alternative evidence, for example from an energy audit, then this can be used also. Please upload such evidence when completing the application form.

9. Supporting information

To accompany your application we recommend that you provide appropriate supporting evidence to support the information provided. Some of the key forms of evidence are set out below.

Quotes from suppliers should be included to evidence the project costs and the grant amount requested. Quotes can also be used to evidence expected energy and/or carbon savings.

Energy audits (or similar building assessments) can also be used to evidence cost, energy and carbon information.

In regard to project readiness, if any permissions have already been obtained then please submit these with your application. Similarly, quotes from suppliers can show that the project has already been developed and they may also be used to indicate delivery timescales.

Please also supply any evidence relevant plans or policies that you may have that demonstrates how the project will support the strategic aims of the organisation. This includes any environmental or climate-based policies.

10. Questions and support

If there are any further questions or clarifications required then please contact the following:

Matt Barker
Carbon Reduction Manager

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

AND

Joe Wheldon
Carbon Reduction Projects Officer

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.