Promote community action to reduce energy consumption
Overview
This standard is about promoting community action to reduce their energy consumption. It covers the provision of information and support to communities to help them reduce their energy consumption.
The standard includes identifying opportunities to support community action; providing a range of information, advice and support to community groups; helping groups to access funding, training and other resources; and liaising with the providers of relevant goods and services on their behalf. It is also about preparing and issuing a community advice report with recommendations for reducing energy consumption with potential costs and carbon/cost savings; a prioritised action plan; and agreed follow-up action and support.
The recommendations provided to clients must be objective and impartial. However, it is possible that you will be 'tied' to a particular organisation/employer and that you will receive referral fees or other benefits from them should the client use their services. Although you may make suggestions to clients that they use particular products, services or suppliers (e.g. a certain make of boiler, or a local insulation installation service), it is vital that any interest is fully disclosed to the client.
You must understand and work to the requirements of each devolved nation.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- identify opportunities to promote community action to reduce energy consumption
- provide information, advice and support relating to energy consumption to community groups
- discuss the potential for renewable energy generation with community groups, and refer them to alternate sources of information, advice and support where required
- help community groups to access training, funding and additional resources required by them
- liaise with the providers of products and/or services on behalf of community groups
- produce advice reports for community groups
- issue advice reports to community groups, and provide information on how to interpret their contents and implement advice
- disclose, within advice reports, the referral fees or other benefits that you may receive should the community group follow your suggestions for products, services or suppliers
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the purpose and role of Community Energy Advisers, and the extent and limitations of the information, advice and support that can be provided by them
- the range of opportunities that exist to promote community action to reduce energy consumption, and how to identify them
- the importance of acknowledging community needs
- the range of information, advice and support that may be required by community groups, and ways of providing this
- the potential use of renewable energy generation within communities, and the sources of information, advice and support to which community groups can be referred
- the range of training, funding and resources available to community groups, and ways of helping them to access these
- the relevant techniques for communication, facilitation and liaison, and how to adapt them to meet the requirements of different community groups
- how to produce advice reports for community groups
- the importance of providing information to community groups on how to interpret the advice reports and implement the recommendations contained within
- the importance of disclosing the referral fees or other benefits you may receive as a result of community groups following your suggestions for particular products, services or suppliers
Scope/range
Information, advice and support may relate to:
- suppliers of goods and services
- local services and facilities
- lifestyle and behaviours
- local planning policies
- options for low and zero carbon energy technologies
- financial support (e.g. grants)
- referral to other professionals/experts
Advice reports containing:
- an overview of current energy consumption of the community group
- the sustainability of energy sources
- recommendations for reducing energy consumption, including potential costs and carbon/cost savings
- a prioritised action plan
- agreed follow-up action/support