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The Community Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP)
BRE, as a partner of the Big Lottery Fund, is running the Community Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP).
This is an open grants programme that will provide £8 million to community-based organisations for the installation of micro-generation technologies, such as solar panels or wind turbines and energy efficiency measures including loft and cavity wall insulation.
It will also provide £1 million for project development grants that will help community organisations establish if a micro-generation and energy efficiency installation will work for them.
It aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Reduction in CO2 emissions
- Increased community awareness of climate change and how changes to our behaviour can reduce it
- Increased skills base of local trades (for example, local builders and building-service subcontractors working on renewable energy projects for the first time)
- Reduction in energy bills
- Reduction in reliance on imported energy and increased independence from commercial energy suppliers
- Stronger partnerships within local communities with lasting social benefits
- Growth of local enterprise in new technologies
Not-for-profit housing associations are encouraged to apply. Capital grants will be awarded on a competitive basis at quarterly Selection Panel meetings. Project Development grants will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis until all funds are spent.
This programme has a rolling programme of funding rounds, with each round lasting approximately three months. The deadlines for each funding round are as follows:
Funding round Application deadline Selection panel meeting
7 Friday 30 October 2009 9 December 2009
8 Friday 29 January 2010 w/c 1 March 2010
9 Friday 7 May 2010 w/c 7 June 2010
10 Friday 30 July 2010 w/c 6 September 2010
11 Friday 29 October 2010 w/c 29 November 2010
More information is available at the Community Sustainable Energy Programme website
