Powering Communities to Net Zero Fund – SSEN
Garve and District Community Council
Added at 20:24 on 01 April 2026
Presentation 1st April 2026 via Teams - notes pertaining
The SSE Community Investment team presented the Powering Communities to Net Zero Fund, offering up to £20,000 per project across two categories: Community-led Physical and Environmental Resilience, and Low Carbon Technology. The application deadline is 12 noon on 21 May, with awards expected in August. The fund has £3 million available through the ED2 price control period (2023–28), with this being the penultimate year.
Eligibility Requirements
• Organisations: Not-for-profit organisations, unincorporated associations with a suitable constitution, charities, and certain company structures (not for private profit)
• Geographic area: North of Scotland (Dundee to Argyll and Bute northwards, including islands and Shetland) and Central Southern England (Chichester to Dorchester, north to Oxford)
• Excluded: Advancement of religion or politics, statutory authority responsibilities, retrospective funding, recoverable VAT costs
• Single category: Organisations can only apply to one category per year but may apply to the other category in subsequent years
Community-led Physical and Environmental Resilience Category
Funding: Up to £20,000 (increased from £15,000 last year)
Focus areas:
• Community facilities and resilience frameworks for emergency events (extended power loss, severe weather, storm damage)
• Communications equipment, backup power generators, flood protection equipment
Priority scoring factors:
• Remote or isolated communities with dispersed populations and difficult emergency service access
• Areas with vulnerable people and connection to the priority services register
• Communities with a history of significant weather events or identified risk
• Innovative approaches (e.g. leaky dams for flood mitigation)
• Communities with low resilience and coordinated planning across connected villages
• Progress towards net zero ambitions
Key requirements:
• Resilience planning documentation is strongly preferred; limited planning may receive smaller awards
• Stakeholder engagement evidence is required
• Building permissions or lease documentation are needed (long-term leases preferred)
• HVO-Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil compliant generators are preferred over standard diesel for environmental reasons
Low Carbon Technology Category
Funding: Up to £20,000
Eligible technologies:
• Solar panels, heat systems (air source heat pumps), and battery storage
• Building management systems for flexibility schemes
• Renewable energy generation (community wind, micro hydro)
• EV charging points for community use
• Energy efficiency measures (must accompany LCT installation)
Priority factors:
• Remote, rural, or isolated communities and areas with deprivation or high fuel poverty
• Multiple community groups using the facility
• Evidence of technical specifications and due diligence
• Energy audits showing building suitability (roof condition, shading, power phasing)
• Alignment with community net zero plans
Technical guidance:
• Air conditioning-style air source heat pumps are recommended over wet systems for community spaces requiring quick heating or cooling
• Battery storage is strongly recommended alongside solar PV for evening usage
• EV charging must demonstrate community benefit over tourist use
• All LCT must be registered (via Connect Direct or directly with SSEN)
Quote Requirements
• £250–£2,500: Minimum one quote required
• £2,500–£10,000: Minimum two quotes required
• Above £10,000: Minimum three quotes required
• Flexibility is provided for rural communities with limited suppliers (explain in application)
• Screen grabs are acceptable for small equipment; formal quotes are needed for substantial equipment or services
Match Funding for Projects Over £20,000
• Evidence of confirmed match funding is required (not funding gaps)
• Must provide a letter of offer from other grantors or demonstrate funds in reserves via accounts
• Projects must be “shovel-ready” and deliverable within a 12-month timeframe
Application Process
• Online application only via the SSE website
• Deadline: 12 noon, 21 May
• Panel meeting: Late July, with decisions by August
• Organisations must register first and retain login details
• Applications can be saved as drafts and revised before submission
• Planning permission: Applications are accepted pending permission, but projects less likely to proceed by March 2027 will be deprioritised
• A Word template is available on request for offline preparation, but online submission is mandatory
Ineligible Applications
• Private organisations primarily benefiting themselves (case-by-case review for pubs or hotels serving as community resilience spaces)
• Maintenance or replacement of existing LCT (the fund only supports new installations)
• Religious facilities unless demonstrating substantial community (non-religious) use
• Bowling pavilions or limited-use facilities unless evidence of multiple regular users is provided
• Applications straddling both categories (must choose one)
Action Items
• Applicants: Review guidance notes before applying; download from the website
• Applicants: Verify location eligibility using ENA’s postcode checker at ena-eng.org
• Applicants: Contact appropriate fund representatives with category questions
• Applicants: Submit additional information or updates via email before the end of June for panel consideration
• SSE team: Share slide deck with registered attendees
Resources and Support
• Contact: Community Investment Managers for application support
• Guidance notes contain application form instructions and practical information
• Session recording available for registered attendees
• Other DNOs offer similar funds for organisations outside the SSEN area
SSEN say “Our community fund helps communities during prolonged power interruptions caused by storms, aids their ability to cope in severe weather, and also supports the adoption of new low-carbon technologies”.
Appendix: Q&A from Webinar
Q
We have charity looking to add solar panels and battery etc onto a south facing roof on our village hall. Would we qualify?
A
If your governing document has an acceptable wind-up clause.
Q
Do community councils qualify?
A
Community councils do qualify.
Q
Our governing document was written in 1931 – what does an acceptable wind-up clause contain?
A
It would detail that the charity would settle any debts in the event it closes, with any remaining funds being transferred to another charity with a similar purpose.
Q
Our charity runs our local village hall. We’re looking to enhance our battery storage and facilities in general so our hall can be used as a hub during emergencies. Would we qualify?
A
As long as the charity has the specified governance, including the required wind-up clause.
Q
We are working on a resilience plan. Would a Local Place Plan also be suitable to demonstrate (resilience) planning to support an application?
A
Yes, the more detail you can include in your resilience plan, the better to support your application.
Q
Would funding be available to hire a project officer to lead on community resilience planning – community engagement and plan realisation?
A
If this is a key part of a resilience plan, then it might be eligible through the resilience category. Community capacity is certainly a consideration. Multi-year funding is not supported, and communities would need to illustrate the impact that the post would have on resilience and how it could be sustained in the long term.
Q
We’re looking to replace the solar panels and add batteries for the community centre.
A
In principle, yes. You would need to demonstrate need, for example being the only facility in the area, high levels of vulnerability, or recent severe weather events that have caused challenges.
Q
Where a project totals £20,000, but has, say, three components (e.g. solar array, battery support and electric heaters), all about £7,000 (inc VAT), will two quotes suffice for each of the components?
A
The general rule of thumb is one quote for items between £250–£2,500, two quotes for items between £2,500–£10,000, and three quotes for items above £10,000.
Q
If planning permission will be required, can an application be made prior to approval coming through?
A
Applications are accepted pending permission, but projects less likely to proceed by March 2027 will be deprioritised.
Q
Unlikely we’ll be ready for this year’s fund. Could you confirm the fund will run next year and on similar timings?
A
Yes, the funding is expected to run next year around the same timescales.
Q
We’re looking to replace our 18-year-old electric storage heaters and strip lighting at our charity-run preschool in Southampton. Would this be possible?
A
Examples of this could include ground or air source heat pumps.
Q
Can you help with specifying low-carbon heating systems?
A
Examples of this could include ground or air source heat pumps.
Q
Would infrared heating be classed as low-carbon technology?
A
Yes, it would fall under that category.
Q
If we are working through projects in parallel, so resilience is one and we are also having our village hall roof renewed, could we put in separate applications for communications equipment for resilience and solar panels for the village hall, one to each side of the fund?
A
Organisations can only apply to one category per year but may apply to the other category in subsequent years.
Powering Communities to Net Zero Fund