Ed Miliband’s £1bn pledge for community energy is a landmark moment (9 February), but its success depends on more than the size of the cheque.
As our Community Energy Citizen Science project shows, the transition is powered by “quiet labour”. Volunteers do the heavy lifting at kitchen tables, translating complex policy into practical advice and managing the invisible burdens of governance and safeguarding.
There is a disconnect between government rhetoric on “cheap local power” and the regulatory reality. To bridge this gap, we must move beyond short-term grants for physical infrastructure, such as heat pumps or solar panels, and provide long-term funding for the people behind it. Without stable support, vital local knowledge is lost each time a contract ends.
Ultimately, this is a social project. One resident who was able to secure insulation and heating said that she was simply glad to be able to sit and sew in a warm room. If this funding is to be transformative, it must value the persistence and care required to ensure the transition is locally rooted and leaves no one behind.
Dr Luke Gooding
Research associate, Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York
