Electricity bills for charities have risen by 12% since the start of the Iran war in February this year, according to new analysis.
The price of energy bills is now not forecast to return to pre-war levels until 2032, according to the research conducted by Social Investment Business (SIB), Cornwall Insights and the Warm Welcome Campaign.
Some 23% of community spaces now face difficulties paying for energy and utility bills, the research says, with energy efficiency in shops and offices improving twice as fast.
SIB said a lack of energy efficiency in their buildings had left charities “disproportionately exposed” to rising electricity costs and therefore put strain on services for vulnerable people across the country.
The analysis comes ahead of an expected government announcement on how it plans to distribute its £3.3bn Warm Homes Fund.
SIB, which is already investing £15m to support energy resilience for charities, said money from the government fund should be used to transform community buildings.
Genevieve Maitland Hudson, SIB’s deputy chief executive, said: “The volatility and rising costs of electricity is creating an acute crisis for many charitable organisations; a crisis amplified by a chronic lack of investment to futureproof the sector.
“The Warm Homes Fund presents a unique opportunity to support these crucial community spaces, bringing down bills for the buildings at the heart of our most deprived communities, but only if the plan brings targeted support.
“That opportunity must be grasped with urgency to meet the pressures faced by the charity and voluntary sector.
“This is a significant opportunity for the government to join up its missions by strengthening the infrastructure communities depend on, and which government has pinned its vision for a decade of national renewal.”
