2025 Award Finalist: Community Energy Excellence (Small/Medium): Staffordshire Community Energy

Since 2016, Staffordshire Community Energy’s Keep Warm, Keep Well (KWKW) project has been helping both the environment and local people. They’ve put solar panels on eight hospital roofs, cutting 413 tonnes of CO₂ and saving £42,000 on energy bills. Over 1,500 NHS patients struggling with fuel poverty have received support for their health and wellbeing. By working closely with University Hospitals of North Midlands and Beat the Cold, KWKW has helped reduce hospital readmissions and emergency visits, while also offering financial and practical support to patients. The project is growing, with 1.6 MW of new solar panels planned, which could generate £1.5 million to fund even more support. Judges praised the project for its teamwork across sectors, real impact, and sharing of lessons, calling it “vital, inspiring” and a project that truly improves lives.