About

Renewable Energy

Energy affects everyone’s lives, and pockets, and the way we think about energy here in the UK is changing fast.

Whether you’re trying to reduce your own energy bills, starting to think about where your energy is coming from, or even getting together with your local community to generate your own – the world of renewable energy can be a pretty daunting and confusing place.

Here at energyshare we think that needs to change. In a big way. In order to make a really big difference, we all need to work together. We’ve learnt from our other projects (like River Cottage, Hugh’s Fish Fight, Chicken Out and Landshare) that when you bring together people, communities, organisations and the media, something really BIG can happen.

So energyshare brings people together in person and online to turn the system on its head. It gives everyone the opportunity to source, use and (when you're ready…) even generate your own 100% British renewable energy - and save money doing it.

Saving Energy

Every journey begins with a single step, and often it’s the small things we can all do that add up to make the biggest difference. From the way we cook our food to the care we take ensuring all electrical devices are switched off – simple lifestyle changes can result in £100s savings off your annual energy bill, not to mention a massive reduction in national carbon emissions.

You can check out some energy saving tips and recipes here and if you’re feeling brave why not test your resolve in one, or all, of the energyshare challenges. And keep your eyes out over the coming months for a much greater focus towards energy reduction on energyshare.

Funding

The energyshare fund will continue to run in the future, but there are thousands of worthy projects out there, and much as we’d like to we can’t finance all of them. What we can do is let you know about all the funding opportunities that exist around the country.

You can find a list of available funding here which will be updated regularly. We’ll also blog about anything interesting we hear on the grapevine and keep you up to date with our fortnightly newsletter. And if you need a little inspiration why not read about last year’s energyshare Fund winners. They’ll be posting updates of their renewable energy projects as they happen.

Supporters

If one thing is guaranteed to get your project noticed it’s power in numbers. The more followers you have shouting about your community the more likely it is that the people holding the chequebooks will sit up and listen. Registering your Group on energyshare is a unique way to reach thousands of like-minded people. We are a community of 65,000 and counting, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find fellow enthusiasts from your own town, village – even road.

As the owner of an energyshare group you will be able to communicate directly with your supporters, post updates of what you’re doing, and access exclusive promotional material. Many of our groups have found thousands of supporters through energyshare and used that to help them secure funding for their projects – you can read about Old Basing Scout Hut and Harbury Energy’s stories here.

Community

The first thing to remember is that you are not alone. If you’re struggling with a planning application or confounded by legal jargon there’s a good chance that someone else on energyshare has been there before you. Take a look through our Guides or if you’ve just come through a particularly gruelling process why not write one yourself offering advice to fellow energysharers.

And if there’s nothing there you could do a lot worse off than asking around in the Forums. It is full of like-minded people, many of whom have been there, done it, and are ready and willing to share their stories. Of course if you’re really stuck you can always email us. We’re more than happy to point you in the right direction or champion your cause in our newsletters.

What Else?

There are some big changes on the horizon for energyshare. We are currently developing a directory of energy suppliers – from loft insulation to solar PV – that you’ll be able to add to and rate. We’re also looking at ways to ensure energyshare members are able to secure the best deals when approaching companies within the directory.

And that’s just the start. energyshare is an exciting place to be at the moment. We hope you’ll be joining us for the journey.