Up the Energy

It's time to

Up the Energy

And Get Britain Going

Up the energy with

community power

Investing in community energy is one of the fastest, fairest ways to cut bills, create jobs, and strengthen energy security, turning national ambition into local benefit.

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.

Community Energy England and partners are inviting public figures and organisations supportive of community energy to sign the open letter, which will be delivered to the Government on 4 March 2026.

We’re calling on the UK Government to fully implement the recommendations of the Community Energy State of the Sector 2025 report and to work with us through the Up the Energy campaign to remove barriers, unlock local power, and ensure every community can share in the benefits of clean, affordable energy.

Specifically, we’re inviting the UK Government to:

Fund projects through 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 rooftops for community energy

Fund projects through 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 rooftops for community energy

Why Now?

Over the past fifteen years, the UK has made extraordinary progress in clean energy. Thanks to innovation, falling costs, and community ambition, renewables now provide half of the nation’s electricity. Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 35%, and our air is cleaner than it’s been in a generation.

These achievements show what’s possible when people, technology, and policy work together.   

But to deliver the Clean Power mission and make energy affordable for all, every community must be part of this success story. 

As GB Energy’s Local Power Plan says:

Clean energy shouldn’t just power the nation – it should directly benefit local communities.

Across the UK, community energy organisations are already generating renewable power, cutting bills, and reinvesting profits into nature restoration, local jobs, and vital community services.

These projects prove that clean energy can also be community energy – where local people have a real stake in powering a fairer future.

The Local Power Plan backs this up with £1 billion. But funding alone isn’t enough. To truly put communities at the heart of the energy transition, with local ownership, shared wealth, and lower bills, the government must also deliver fair export prices, grid access, and use of public land and buildings.

That’s why now is the time to Up the Energy on Community Power, and get Britain going!

About the campaign

Up the Energy is a new, national campaign being developed 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.

Aim 1

To encourage the UK Government to turn words into action by removing barriers and strengthening support for community energy.

Aim 2

To increase public awareness of what community energy is and why it is so vital to communities across the country.

Our first aim has been partially fulfilled with the publication of the Local Power Plan. The Government is listening. But key asks remain undelivered, and we need your support to keep up the pressure. Later in 2026 we’ll move into our second aim: raising public awareness of community energy.