0161 860 7571 | 
A group in South Manchester has been keen for a while to explore energy efficiency and renewable energy for a 100 year community centre and Church, and found that some exciting options were possible. Governance, finance, greening the building's fabric and grounds, working more closely with the community and retaining the unique character of the place also presented new possibilities.
Renewables4communities, SCC's partnership service, was employed to deliver the assessment. At the outset it was vital to clarify the purpose of the project and agree objectives. The study itself involved exploring other centre and village hall 'stories', good and bad, as well as talking to users of the building about their own aspirations and experiences of the buildings. Current good practice was investigated thoroughly to provide a level of detail that would both provide a central resource for the group and also technical information for architects, potential funders and installers. The many recommendations were categorised to help in the development of a strategy that would be beneficial for all users of the buildings.
Some key energy recommendations included the installation of insulation (including external), extensive draught proofing, underfloor heating, energy controls, a ground source heat pump (GSHP) and photovoltaic (PV) panels on part of the roof. The NEA's Energy Efficiency in Community Buildings is a good starting point for a community centre looking to lower energy costs. Identifying capital and other costs, along with incomes from the Feed in Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive, as well as fuel savings, have made it clearer for the group to decide what to do next. Carbon savings, good practice and detail on a variety of techniques, also help the decision making process. The overall 'package' was informed by a variety of things, including the need to replace the current floor, rising heating bills, likely resources, plans to change the use of the grounds and a desire to be a beacon for sustainability in the community. With relatively long payback times for some of the ideas, a diverse range of finance options are need including grants, loans and community share offers (see Funding for Community Buildings and Community Shares as a starting point).
Other recommendations related to Governance structures for groups (see Simply Legal), construction techniques to avoid disturbance, community engagement (see Manchester Community Engagement Toolkit), designing in environmental features (BREEAM, amongst others, offers plenty of guidance that can be related back to community centres), climate change resilience, accredited installers, healthy buildings, local and low impact sourcing and more.
SCC has 'adopted' the centre and group as part of its commitment to the community and wider voluntary support and it will continue to receive ongoing no/low cost help from us to assist in making changes into the future.
Image: Russell Kirby
