Village halls and other community buildings have a vital role to play in community wellbeing and cohesion. But recent research reveals a stark reality: most community spaces are falling behind in energy efficiency, facing skyrocketing energy bills and the threat of closure.

Over half of community buildings in England struggle with energy efficiency issues. Outdated heating systems, poor insulation, and maintenance backlogs are common challenges. Coupled with rising energy costs, these financial pressures are intensifying, putting these critical local hubs at increasing risk.

Empowering communities

Many community organisations lack the money, time or technical knowledge to make changes to their buildings. For many groups it can feel overwhelming even thinking about where to start.

CSE’s experience shows that with the right advice and understanding, community buildings can be successfully retrofitted – updated to reduce heat loss, improve energy efficiency or install renewables, like solar panels or a heat pump.

We visited Chew Stoke Village Hall in Somerset to help them with their energy efficiency journey. Rhian, a member of the village hall committee, said: “The support from CSE in doing an energy survey of our village hall has been the first important step in a long journey. Without it we wouldn’t know where to start or what type of funding to apply for.”

Without CSE’s support we wouldn’t know where to start or what type of funding to apply for.

Saving community buildings

Community buildings are at the heart of so many communities. They are the spaces where people connect, learn, and support each other. From lunch clubs and mother and toddlers groups to local meetings, these buildings are irreplaceable social lifelines. But rising energy costs are making it harder to keep them open.

This is where our community team helps. We work with local groups to take action in their neighbourhoods by enhancing their community buildings. CSE provides a lifeline for struggling community spaces through comprehensive energy efficiency advice that helps these buildings keep their doors open. We provide:

• Deep-dive energy assessments to produce tailored retrofit plans which can be used to justify investment.
• Advice about funding opportunities for building improvements that can dramatically reduce energy costs.
• Guidance throughout complex energy saving interventions.

Challenges for Chew Stoke Village Hall

Built around 1902, Chew Stoke village hall is run by and for the community. “There are so many people who use the space, from youth clubs to men’s fitness groups”, said Rhian. “The church also uses the space for a soup kitchen which brings people together.” Keeping the hall going is vital for social and mental wellbeing in the village.

The main challenge currently faced is that the building’s energy bills exceed the amount of money it generates through bookings, with no money left to make improvements to the building. The committee could increase booking fees, but this could make it unaffordable for the building’s users.

They want to ensure the space remains open to the community, to continue being a buzz of activity and welcoming place for everyone. If the building can’t afford to run it risks being shut entirely which would be a great loss.

“If we can make the hall more energy efficient we can keep it going financially”, said Rhian. “The impact to the community is huge.”

Community building energy survey

CSE experts Steve Cole and Robin Bell visited the village hall to carry out an energy survey. Building users reported that the building was cold and draughty, and they wanted to explore ways to make it more comfortable, save money and understand what renewable energy options would be suitable.

This in-depth survey looked at:

• General building condition – any obvious repair and maintenance issues such as leaking gutters, blocked drainage, damp patches and overgrown vegetation.
• Ventilation and draughts – evidence of gaps in fabric, assessment of ventilation and internal air quality. CSE also uses thermal imaging cameras to understand where heat is being lost through the building fabric and around doors and windows.
• Space and water heating – assessing the efficiency of these systems for the building needs, and any upgrades or alternative methods.
• Lighting – potential upgrades such as LED bulbs which are more energy efficient.
• Energy use behaviours – how people use the building – particularly the lighting and heating – and how energy can be saved by adapting behaviours.
• Awareness and comfort – how people feel while using the building, are there areas that are significantly colder or more humid.
• Fabric improvements – such as insulation and draught-proofing.
• Renewable and low carbon technologies – exploring suitable measures for the building, such as viability of solar panels, heat pumps and smart technology that allow better control of heating.

Steve and Robin produced a report going through suitable short- and long-term measures. This gives the village hall committee a roadmap of changes to make, and the confidence that these will make a difference to the building’s energy efficiency.

Our survey showed that with a small investment, draught proofing could be added to the suspended timber flooring, skirting boards and external doors, where the thermal imaging camera picked up an increase in heat loss. These measures would be an immediate fix with the biggest positive impact on user comfort of the building. Then, the committee can look at other more costly measures like replacing doors with a more modern thermally efficient alternative, or floor insulation.

What’s next?

“CSE’s report has given us huge insight into where we need to start in terms of approaching the energy use of our village hall”, said Rhian. “We now understand how leaky the building is and where it’s good or bad for energy use and efficiency.

This has given us huge insight into where we need to start to improve the energy use of our village hall.

Rhian explains the next steps: “We’ll take the energy report CSE has written to our next village hall meeting. The committee will look through the recommendations and, by thinking about who is using the hall and how, work out which ones to start with, and which will be longer-term goals. Then we can start to make a plan of how to take actions forward and look at funding”. 

Once the committee has reviewed the report, CSE will have a follow-up meeting to see if they need additional support. For example we can help with implementation of measures and assist with finding appropriate funding.