Rugby Community Energy
Our Town, Our Power
What is Community Energy?
Right now, most of us get our energy from big companies. We pay them money, and the energy comes from far away.
Rugby Community Energy wants to change that. Through the new Local Power Plan, introduced by the UK Government in 2026, we want to build our own "clean energy" projects right here in Rugby. This means using things like the sun (solar panels) or the wind to make electricity.
Because the community would own these projects, the money made from selling the electricity stays in Rugby to help our town, building ‘community wealth’ instead of letting our money go to big companies.
Why are we doing this?
Help the Planet: Clean energy helps us to protect the environment by replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources such as solar and wind power
Help Our Town: We can find ways to give people in Rugby cheaper, greener power, reducing the cost of living while giving us better energy security.
Help the Hub: Profits from energy can help us carry out the Eco Hub’s work, and help us pay for our tools and workshops. Local people will also have the opportunity to invest and share in the profits.
What could we actually build?
Imagine a big local school or warehouse with a huge roof. We could:
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Put solar panels on that roof.
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Sell that cheap green power to the school or warehouse so they save money.
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Use the extra money to plant more trees in Rugby, help people fix their broken electronics, or create exciting new projects.
This is just one example of many possible options, which could also include helping local people to invest in large-scale local green energy projects, setting up a local smart energy grid or creating a 'community battery storage'.
How do we get there?
Getting energy projects built sounds hard, but the Local Power Plan gives us a map to follow:
- The Brainstorm (Right Now): We get together and think of the best places in Rugby to put solar panels or batteries.
- The Expert Check (This Summer): Through the government’s Local Power Plan, the Eco Hub can apply for a grant to bring in expert consultants to do a feasibility study on our ideas.
- The Design: We pick the best project and finish the plans.
- Power On!: We build the project and start making Rugby’s own clean green power.
Interested? Get involved!
We will need a wide range of skills to make a successful community energy project, from project leaders and people with technical skills to general supporters willing to turn their hand to anything. At this early stage, the main skill is showing up and being enthusiastic!
Simply email us at info@rugbyecohub.org or speak to one of the team to find out how you can be involved.