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Community Energy England launches “Up the Energy” campaign

18 November 2025

Community Energy England and its partners have launched a new national campaign – Up the Energy – calling for stronger support to help every community benefit from clean, affordable, locally produced energy.

The message is simple: investing in community energy is one of the quickest and fairest ways to cut bills, create jobs, and boost the UK’s energy security. When communities generate their own clean power, the benefits stay local – from cheaper energy to funding for local projects, nature restoration, and new green jobs.

The Government has already promised to put communities at the heart of the UK’s energy transition. Now campaign leaders say it’s time to turn that promise into action.

As part of the campaign, CEE is inviting public figures, community groups, charities, businesses, and other organisations to sign an open letter urging the Government to act. The letter will be delivered in February 2026.

The campaign calls on the UK Government to adopt the recommendations of the Community Energy State of the Sector 2025 report and work alongside the sector to remove barriers, unlock local clean-energy projects, and ensure all communities can share the benefits of the transition to net zero.

Why now?

Over the last 15 years, the UK has transformed its energy system. Thanks to new technology, falling costs, and community determination:

Renewable energy now provides around half of the country’s electricity

Greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 35%

Our air is cleaner than it has been in a generation

These achievements show what’s possible when government, industry, and local people work together.

Across the UK, community energy groups are already generating clean power, reducing household bills, and reinvesting profits into projects that strengthen local areas – such as nature recovery, warm-home schemes, and support for community services.

These success stories prove that clean energy can also be community energy, where local people have a genuine stake in shaping a fairer, greener future.

But CEE and partners warn that progress is being held back by outdated rules and a lack of long-term policy support. Removing these barriers would allow community energy to grow rapidly and play a major role in delivering clean power for everyone.

Time to Up the Energy

The Up the Energy campaign urges the Government to act quickly so communities across the UK can help drive the clean-energy transition.

By supporting community power, Britain can cut bills faster, create thousands of green jobs, and make our energy system stronger and fairer for all.

You can find out more about this campaign here – where you can sign up for updates, and you can sign the open letter here.