Community Buildings

Introduction

The benefits of improving the carbon footprint of community buildings/assets are often two-fold. Whilst greater financial and energy resilience of the building itself is the main goal, embracing renewable energy solutions at community level provides a clear sign to what households might achieve themselves.

Invariably energy improvements to community assets can attract grant funding from both commercial and public sources, so with some planning and fortitude, they are often a very sensible place for communities to start their carbon reduction journey. We list below some of the funders which are worth approaching.

No two community assets are the same and as with homes it’s important to understand the building itself and the use that is made of it e.g. when is it used for how long and what for. Putting this down in black and white provides a firm foundation for any project. Next is the agreement of what should be done and in what order. Again, as with homes it’s wise to be ahead of the game. Don’t wait for a crisis before initiating a project even if it isn’t enacted immediately.

All communities will move at their own pace and with their own priorities. However, our case studies give some ideas of how others have approached the challenge. Talking to those who have gone before is often a worthwhile input, accepting that not everything is transferable.

One last point, looking across all community buildings/assets initially is an ideal start point to highlight priorities and the potential to share resourcing and solutions.

Case Studies

Coddenham – The Coddenham Centre

A challenged facility, re-established as a charity at the end of 2019, it has turned adversity into opportunity, through a series of initiatives that have reduced its carbon footprint by 91% in less than four years. In 2024 it was awarded the Carbon Charter Gold Award. A comprehensive story can be found here.

While the Centre set out to be an exemplar to the communities it serves, Coddenham has had a long history of caring for and celebrating its environment. The community website champions and celebrates ‘Creating the Greenest County’ through its ‘Coddenham Cares’ posts and environmental action in a Community Plan, a collaboration of all the charitable, statutory and volunteer groups, the Coddenham Community Response Group.

Debenham – St Mary Magdalene and Dove Cottage

St Mary Magdalene church in Debenham is one of the focal points in the village and is open 7 days a week for community use. The Dove Cottage annexe is also widely used by the community for various activities. The church is currently heated by a wet oil-fired system, and Dove Cottage heated solely by electricity.

The church heating system is leaking and is irreparable, so, in all probability, a new infra-red heating system will be installed. The move to a cleaner/greener heating system ties in well with installing solar panels on the south aisle roof of the church. Although in the early planning stages at present, it is clear from initial investigations that the proposed installation will work and be approved by the diocese. The south aisle roof is in need of urgent repair to make it water-tight, and this work must be completed before the solar panels are installed.

The proposal is to install a 10.75KW (25 panels) system on the south aisle roof that would feed both the church and Dove Cottage. The roof of Dove Cottage is not suited for solar panels. The installation is likely to have battery storage for the Dove Cottage system but not for the church itself. The south aisle roof has a 600mm parapet running around it so the installed panels would not be visible from the ground.

With Dove Cottage using approximately 65% of the annual consumption of the complex, the use of batteries for Dove Cottage makes perfect sense as it is 100% electrically heated. Dove Cottage has recently had secondary double glazing installed to further aid the heat efficiency of the building.