How we help our community
Get support from an Energy Champion
We are proud to have a team of volunteers working across the Bedfordshire area, who are passionate about helping others to live in warmer, more efficient homes. If you are looking for support with your energy usage, or you are finding it difficult to manage your energy bills, we are here to help.
You can talk to us at community events, when we visit local groups and venues, or arrange a home visit. Our Energy Champions provide practical, unbiased advice on reducing energy bills, at the same time as helping people living in fuel poverty with practical measures like draught-proofing or accessing energy grants.
Energy Champion FAQs
What can Energy Champions help with?
Energy Champions can help with:
- Energy tarrifs
- Heat loss in the home
- Easy tips and tricks to bring down energy bills
- Adjusting heat settings and understanding smart meters
- Grants for energy efficiency
- Scam awareness
All our advice is free and impartial and we listen to you, to understand what you need help with, and to pick up your great ideas as well!
Energy Champions can be booked for your next event or group session, or for a home visit by emailing jane.hooper@greensandenergy.org
What happens at a group meeting or event?
We tailor what we do to suit your group. We can set up a stall, give presentations with Q&A’s, run workshops or chat to each table more casually.
What happens in the library or community center?
We can set up our stall, provide leaflets and use our training and experience to help you sort out how to save money or improve the heating and energy efficiency in your home.
What happens during a home visit?
We can listen to you, suggest how to reduce energy useage, help you contact or change your energy supplier, access grants or signpost you to further support. We can discuss the potential for retrofitting measures such as insulation, solar power or heat pumps in your home and recommend particular suppliers.
How can I be sure the phone call is not a scam?
Our Energy Champions will never cold call you – you ask us to come to you!
How are Energy Champions funded?
We are able to offer our volunteer Energy Champions free training and expenses and supporting materials from grant funding through Community Energy South, working with UK Power Networks as part of their commitment to energy saving and grid decarbonisation. This grant funding means we are also able to engage a paid coordinator to support Energy Champions in their work.
How can I join the Energy Champions team?
To take the first step towards joining the friendly Energy Champions team in Central Bedfordshire email our Energy Champion Coordinator Jane Hooper at jane.hooper@greensandenergy.org
Become an Energy Champion
We’re looking for Energy Champions in Bedfordshire – could this be you?
Are you worried about climate change and want to reduce carbon emissions? Are you concerned about people in our community who are experiencing fuel poverty? Could you help people have warmer homes and save money on their energy bills?
Help your neighbours save money, stay warm, and fight climate change – all at the same time!
Sign up to our Energy Champion programme
We will provide resources and free training to qualify you to be a certified Energy Champion. You will be fully equipped and knowledgeable to go into other peoples’ homes to offer advice on saving energy, make their homes warmer, at the same time as helping to tackle the climate crisis. All we ask in return is your time to be trained and occasionally volunteer at community events or conduct home visits. You can spend as little or as much time as you like.
This is open to anyone living in the Bedfordshire area.
What you do as an Energy champion
Taking on the role of an Energy Champion is a voluntary opportunity, allowing you to work at times that fit your schedule. You will participate in events, provide advice at energy clinics, and visit people’s homes. This initiative reflects our commitment to energy conservation and grid decarbonization.
Training and Support
You will receive free training to ensure you are well-prepared to offer dependable advice and guidance. Our program includes complimentary training, supporting materials, and equipment, all made possible through grant funding from Community Energy Pathways.
You will be part of an enthusiastic and helpful team, and you will be led by Jane, our Energy Volunteer Coordinator who will offer support and advice.
Case Study: Enhancing Energy Efficiency in a Victorian Flat
In late October, a housing advisor and a colleague visited a first-floor converted Victorian flat in a quiet area of town. The owner, a single occupant who had recently renovated the property, wanted advice on improving the energy efficiency and general management of her home. She mentioned that her heating bills had been quite high during her first winter there, and she was eager to find ways to reduce costs.