Social Value Portal

Over the past year, we have been exploring how the social value created by community energy can be better captured and communicated, particularly as local authorities place greater emphasis on social value through procurement. 

Social value includes outcomes that are central to community energy but often difficult to evidence, such as improved wellbeing, skills development, local employment and increased spending within local economies. To help community energy groups compete more effectively for local authority contracts, align with DNO consumer vulnerability requirements, and increase visibility in energy policymaking, we have been trialling the Social Value Portal (SVP). The pilot involved eight community energy groups supported through the Community Energy People project, alongside established organisations in Sussex. 

The process highlighted significant challenges. The SVP requires robust data that small, often volunteer-led organisations can struggle to collect, and its focus on “additionality” means that core activities such as renewable energy generation and energy advice are not fully captured. To address this, we worked with CAG Consultants to develop a simple tool that enables groups to input key data, which we then process and upload centrally. Despite these limitations, the pilot showed that the eight participating groups generated over £800,000 of recognised social value during the 2024/25 financial year. 

Looking ahead, we have concluded that a more bespoke approach is needed. We will be working with the University of Sheffield to develop a new social value measurement system aligned with DNO and fuel poverty frameworks, enabling community energy groups to evidence the full value of their everyday work.