Why community energy needs volunteer support
Volunteer time is part of the energy infrastructure
A useful reminder in this Guardian letter: community-energy projects do not run on capital funding alone. They also depend on residents who can explain insulation options, help with forms, notice safeguarding concerns and keep local knowledge in the room.
That work is often treated as an optional extra. In practice, it is what helps renters, older residents and people without reliable digital access benefit from the investment. Funding the panels or heat pumps matters, but funding the relationships around them matters too.