Eight charities successfully applied for government funding to develop innovative energy switching schemes to help customers lower their energy bills.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change saw 114 applications to its Cheaper Energy Together fund, 34 of which were from the voluntary sector. Of these applications 31 were awarded, eight of which were from the voluntary sector and 23 from local authorities.
Some £5.2m of grants were awarded, with voluntary sector organisations sharing £2.2m - 42 per cent of the funding awarded.
Of all organisations awarded the largest grant went to the Eden Project, which will receive a total of £895,000. £600,000 of this has already been delivered to the Cornwall-based charity. It has used the funding to launch Cornwall Together which, using the collective power of over 20,000 people, aims to negotiate cheaper energy tariffs for the people of Cornwall.
Age UK, Changeworks and the Centre for Sustainable Energy are among the other successful applicants, while Locality, SCVO and Circle Housing were among the failed applicants.
The figures were revealed in a written Parliamentary answer by Minister of State for Energy and Climate Gregory Barker. He revealed that the funding would support 94 local authorities in the UK.
Voluntary sector organisation | Award (£) |
Age UK | 104,000 |
Centre for Sustainable Energy | 194,892 |
Community Energy Direct | 280,000 |
Community Energy Plus | 59,000 |
Eden Project | 895,000 |
Changeworks | 414,889 |
Yorkshire Energy Partnership | 59,100 |
People's Power | 178,400 |
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