You may recall that last autumn we spoke about our work to power the Victorian cascades in Battersea Park. This month, we've spent a lot of time out on the lake for the latest phase of the project. You might not have realised a lake even USES power. But, as a matter of fact, not only does this small body of water use energy... it uses a whopping 90,000 kWh of it every year! To put that into perspective, that's the equivalent of heating 8 homes for a year.

As England looks to tackle climate change and make homes warmer and more affordable to run, there’s a growing spotlight on something called retrofit. While the word might sound technical, it’s really about improving buildings – mostly homes – so they use less energy. This could mean anything from better insulation and windows to more efficient heating systems.

More than 1,000 residents have been supported to manage their energy consumption and reduce their bills, thanks to a partnership between Hackney Council, CREW Energy and community organisations across the borough. The Hackney Energy Advice Team (HEAT) offers fuel poverty and energy-saving advice to residents in the borough’s community spaces. It has so far helped 1,256 people since launching in April last year.

Did you know around 22% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from our homes? That's our heating, lighting and appliances. This week, Citizens Advice and Energy Saving Trust have teamed up to bring us Energy Saving Week (20-26 Jan).

From those wanting to save a bit of money on their bills and reduce their carbon footprint, all the way to those at risk of fuel poverty – struggling to heat their homes and pay their bills – we've seen time and time again the sheer power of advice. Because, the reality is, knowledge is power. Access to the right support can change lives.

If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that CREW Energy started out in a pub in Wandsworth in 2014. Just a bunch of south west Londoners with a pint and a dream! Back then, we were a fully volunteer-led community benefit society called Community Renewable Energy Wandsworth. Ten years later, while much of our team is paid for their energy advice, consultancy, project management and more, we're still very much powered by a team of seven volunteer directors: Amy, Armelle, Leonie, Sobia, Steve, Toby and Yunus!

In winter 2024, energy prices are still 50% higher than pre-crisis levels and people are struggling. The impact of January’s energy price cap means that 6.1 million UK households will be in fuel poverty by early 2025.​ ​This Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, we wanted to take a closer look at what fuel poverty action means to us and how we're helping people in south west London stay warm, safe and healthy in their homes.

Last Friday we had the privilege of attending the Community Energy Awards 2024, hosted at M Shed in the lovely Bristol! We were very lucky to have been shortlisted for the Fuel Poverty Action Award, which celebrates ‘the remarkable contributions of community energy organisations in addressing the multifaceted challenges of fuel poverty and energy efficiency in England.’

​Throughout the winter, our SWLEAP team will be distributing warm homes packs in Wandsworth and Richmond, saving the average home around £200 a year on their energy bills. The scheme has been funded by Wandsworth and Richmond Councils for the second year running. This year kicked off with launch events held in both boroughs on 30th October and 6th November respectively, where we distributed 198 packs in total to local residents!

Now that the clocks have gone back, our homes may start to get a little chillier earlier in the day. To stay warm and well, we all know we'll need to turn the heating on sooner or later. But the good news is, there are ways you can make your heating system more efficient, so that it is on for less time, saving you money on your bills!

The year is 2040. Growing your own veg, active travel, renewable energy, more public benches than you can shake a stick at... What's your dream scenario? Toby joined Transition Town Tooting's 'Town Anywhere' event this week, where he time travelled to a futuristic town in the year 2040 to create the blueprint of our dreams. In this futuristic town called 'Anywhere', one thing's for certain: the people value community.

Earlier this week, we hosted our 'Take control of your energy for good' webinar to share energy advice and tips to help you make your home and business more energy efficient. In case you missed it, CREW directors Armelle, Toby and Steve shared lots of useful information on energy saving and renewable tech. You'll find links to some of this below, along with the slides, which give some representative examples of cost, savings and payback for your home.