Up the Energy
A national campaign led by Community Energy England and partners
To unlock the full potential of community energy and ensure everyone can play a part in delivering the UK’s Clean Power mission.
The campaign has two core aims:
Influence
The Government’s Local Power Plan is a historic first step – committing £1 billion to community energy. Now it’s time to finish the job and remove the barriers still holding communities back.
Raise awareness
To increase public awareness of what community energy is and why it is so vital to communities across the country.
Our campaign asks
Let’s unleash community power
The Local Power Plan addresses some of our asks – and we welcome that. But critical barriers remain. We’re calling on the UK Government to build on this momentum and deliver the changes still needed to unlock local power and ensure every community can share in the benefits of clean, affordable energy.
- Deliver on the Local Power Plan and Warm Homes Plan
- Guarantee a fair export price for community-generated electricity
- Prioritise community projects in grid connection queues
- Support local supply models, public sector purchasing and shared ownership
- Provide access to public land and rooftop for community energy
What’s next for the campaign
The Up The Energy campaign is a nationwide effort to unlock the full potential of community energy. It’s about more than policy – it’s about sparking conversations, building engagement, and inspiring action in the places where the energy transition really matters.
At its heart is a simple idea: if communities are going to power Britain’s clean future, the conversation needs to move beyond Westminster and into the towns and neighbourhoods where change is felt every day.
Our focus in the months ahead
Over the coming months, we’ll be focusing on three key areas:
Policy influence
We’ll continue working closely with government to shape the practical steps needed to unlock clean energy and help community energy projects thrive.
Public engagement
We’re working to make community energy visible, relevant and actionable for people across the UK. By boosting participation in locally owned renewable energy, communities can play a direct role in tackling climate change.
This also means supporting communities to prepare for the future – providing education, building skills, and increasing confidence so more people feel able to engage with local energy projects and respond to the challenges ahead.
Regional activation
We’re planning to bring the campaign to life across the country, hosting events and conversations in towns and communities nationwide.
Building momentum from the ground up
This campaign is about creating real momentum from the ground up. Communities across the UK are already leading the way – and we’re here to amplify that leadership, helping turn local ambition into real projects and lasting change.
Get involved
In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching a crowd funder to support the next phase of the campaign. Thanks to match funding from Aviva, every £1 you give will be doubled – meaning your support will have twice the impact.
We’ll be sharing more details very soon – stay tuned!
Activation event
We delivered the open letter
Community Energy England and a broad coalition of civil society organisations, businesses and public figures working across climate, poverty reduction, community development and local enterprise delivered an open letter on 4 March 2026 to the Government calling for urgent action to unlock the full potential of community energy.
Images by Lizzie Goldsack (If Not Now), for Community Energy England
Community Energy England and partners invited public figures and organisations supportive of community energy to sign our open letter, which was delivered to the Government on 4 March 2026 at a special event in Parliament Square.
Over 250 organisations have signed the letter – huge thanks to all of these national leaders for paving the way.
Up the Energy is supported by The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges and SP Energy Networks.
