Small Grants of between £20,000 and £49,999 and Main Grants of between £50,000 and £2 million are available to registered charities in England, Scotland and Wales for projects that support energy consumers in vulnerable situations.
The Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme (Energy Redress Scheme) has reopened for applications, with its largest funding round since the scheme was established.
A total of £35 million is available as grants to charities and community energy groups across England, Scotland and Wales that focus on supporting those most in need in their communities with managing energy use and bills. The scheme will also consider organisations that work on the development of innovative products and services related to domestic energy use and projects focused on reducing carbon emissions.
Since 2018, the Energy Redress Scheme has funded more than 583 projects across England, Scotland and Wales with £119 million funded.
The aims of the Energy Redress Scheme’s Main and Small Grants schemes are to:
- Support energy consumers in vulnerable situations, and
- Deliver benefits to the types of consumers that were negatively impacted by the specific issues that triggered the redress payment.
The following funding is available in Round 9:
- Main Fund - grants of between £50,000 and £2 million for projects that will support households in vulnerable situations.
- Small Project Fund - grants of between £20,000 and £49,999 for projects that will support households in vulnerable situations.
In addition, funding is also available under the following programmes:
- Innovation Fund offers grants of between £20,000 and £1 million for projects that will develop innovative products or services to benefit households.
- Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund offers grants of between £20,000 and £500,000 for projects that will reduce UK carbon emissions and empower households to reduce their carbon footprint.
The grants can be used for capital or revenue costs and can provide up to 100% of the project cost. Projects lasting up to 2 years can be funded.
Examples of the kind of activities that can be funded include (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
- Crisis support, linked to energy bills or the energy efficiency of a property, only as part of a wider energy advice project aimed at providing sustainable change for a client.
- Engaging vulnerable consumers with energy issues and delivering energy advice and support that does not duplicate existing services.
- Installation of energy saving or renewable energy measures that cannot be funded from other sources, and
- Training and education on energy issues that are targeted at supporting vulnerable consumers.
A map showing previously funded projects is available on the Energy Saving Trust website (you'll need to scroll down the page to find the map).
Organisations that aren’t yet registered with the scheme must do so 10 working days before the fund they’re applying to closes to allow time for eligibility checks. Registration can be made on the Energy Redress registration page.
The deadline for applications to Round 9 of the Energy Redress Scheme is 5pm on Tuesday 22 October 2024. It normally takes the Trust 2-3 months to assess applications and notify applicants.
Further information, guidance and an online application process is available on the Energy Saving Trust website.