We’ve noticed that some of London’s diverse communities aren’t currently well represented in energy cooperatives. So, we’re on a mission to change this. We’re exploring new ways to make joining these energy cooperatives more appealing and accessible to everyone.
Our team of community researchers from North Kensington and Newham are leading the way. They’re supported by the combined forces of Repowering London, King’s College London, and the Centre for Sustainable Energy.
Together, we’re working to ensure that everyone in London has the opportunity to contribute to our energy future. You can help us by participating in this research.
How can community energy work for you?
To find out, we’re asking these questions:
- How can we design inclusive community shares and membership offers to make participation in cooperatives more attractive and accessible to all?
- What is working and what is not working in current energy cooperative models in terms of engagement and inclusion?
- How can we encourage a wider group of people to get involved with energy coops?
The aim of our project is to answer these questions with place-based, innovative and accessible participatory research methods.
What we’re doing
Stage 1 – Wider community engagement, January to March 2024
- Start with community outreach, talking to people, building on and establishing relationships in the community.
- Conduct research alongside other activities in the community, creative energy clubs, energy learning workshops, and events hosted by partners in the community.
- Run participatory activities where you can contribute your ideas to a larger piece of thinking.
- Run creative activities and art-making workshops to come up with original ideas and create materials for future community share offers.
- Give out a post card survey where you can contribute ideas and register your interest to take part in stage two of the research.
- We’ll be observing during activities, with participants consent. Information will be provided at all activities with no obligation to be included.
Stage 2 – Co-Design, April to June 2024
- A series of three in-depth co-design workshops in local libraries.
- Help give us a deeper understanding and have the opportunity to help design share and membership offers for the local community.
- You’ll be compensated for your time, £50 for each workshop and an extra £50 if you attend all three. We appreciate it if you can participate in all three workshops. You are also welcome to join one or two.
- We encourage you to get involved in your local community energy co-operative.
- It’s essential that participants understand the research and our methods, and consent to being part of it. If you choose to take part, we’ll send you more information.
How can you participate?
Please read the Participant Information Sheet to take part
What we’re creating
- A package of offers to involve local people in each borough, uniquely tailored for each community, including materials to share.
- Increased understanding about community energy among the community in each borough.
- A practical guide for co-operatives and community organisations who are interested in broadening their membership to under served and underrepresented communities: ‘using participatory research methods to develop an inclusive community shares and membership offer’. This guide will include discussion guides, research methods, FAQs, visuals, event and co-design workshop briefs.
- A webinar to share learning from our research.
How we’re evaluating impact
- Gathering socio-demographic and qualitative data from participants, with participants’ consent.
- Feedback interviews from people who take part in the co-design workshops in stage two of the research, with participants’ consent.
- Feedback on our practical guide as we share our learnings with our networks.
- One-to-one interviews with the Community Researchers to understand what they gained from the project, what they found challenging and what we can improve on.
- A final workshop with Repowering London to reflect on findings and discuss how we can use them to evolve what we do in communities long-term.
How can you participate?
Please read the Participant Information Sheet to take part
