Our story
CREW Energy, formed in 2014, is a team of volunteers working to bring community energy to Wandsworth and surrounding boroughs. We started as a group of former Friends of the Earth members who wanted to create a more equitable, cleaner energy system and were frustrated by lack of leadership from government and large energy companies. We're taking direct, positive action to tackle climate change and fuel poverty, such as our work at Devas Youth Club.
We have already installed energy efficiency measures in community buildings across Wandsworth, Merton and Islington – saving a combined annual total of 50 tonnes of CO2e – and have been providing advice to reduce fuel poverty in south-west London.
In December 2018, CREW was awarded £12,500 in funding by the GLA London Community Energy Fund (Phase 2) to work with Devas Club to develop a project to install LEDs and a Building Management System (BMS) to help make the Devas Club building more energy efficient.
CREW Energy installed LED lighting and a building management system during phase 1 of its transformation project at Devas Club in 2019. This has been cutting energy usage by 25 per cent, amounting to a carbon saving of nearly 12 tonnes per annum and a combined total of £3,400 on their energy bills. These savings can be reinvested in core service delivery to Club members and other community groups.
Following this initial phase, throughout 2020 CREW implemented more LED lighting, secondary glazing and destratifiers to achieve more uniform warming. CREW was awarded £27,000 by the Wandsworth Local Fund to complete this work.
In March 2021, we completed the installation of four air source heat pumps on the roof of the youth club. These heat pumps were fully funded through our first-ever community share offer, completed in December 2020-January 2021. We raised £50,000 through community investment and Community Shares Booster Funding.
Local Merton and Wandsworth residents will be able to see first-hand the positive benefits of this low-carbon tech, but anyone, from anywhere, can help make this happen.
Our advice
So far, we have learnt the importance of taking a project beyond the initial tech; surplus funds from our projects directly fund our fuel poverty outreach programme, we hold eco action games workshops with the children who attend the club and are even hoping to train some of them to become energy assessors with us. All of this is a huge boost to our community and our climate.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by tonnes of CO2e emissions saved annually through installed energy efficiency and renewable measures; reduction in annual energy bills for Devas Club and partner sites; number of people engaged in workshops, outreach, or trained as energy assessors (children, volunteers, or residents); impact on reducing fuel poverty – number of households or individuals supported through outreach or advice funded by project surplus.
