In 2009 several of the CAT REBE MSc tutors were asked if they’d help to judge the regional heats of British Gas’s Green Streets competition, a challenge organised and funded by British Gas that enables communities to compete against each other for a chance to win £100,000 in renewable energy funding. Communities had to succeed against a series of criteria: saving energy, generating energy, educating locals and wider benefits to the community.

British Gas are developing their community micro-generation business, and Green Streets has given them an additional way to learn about the processes and technologies involved. Nearly 100 communities from around the UK entered Green Streets, from which 14 projects were chosen. British Gas allocated project managers and engineers to work with each community and on average the communities were given a budget of around £100,000 for the projects.

As the competition comes to a close it is time to review what the communities have achieved in a year. British Gas asked CAT if we’d help choose the overall winner. The judging panel consisted of Ian Peters, COO of British Gas Energy, Andrew Pendleton from the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, who have analysed the results, and Arthur Butler, a CAT REBE tutor and engineer.

So far there have been events near Oxford and in Leicester, and with pitches from 10 communities. There is an event in Edinburgh shortly, from which 3 communities coming from any of the 3 heats will be short-listed to go through to a grand final in London on the 1^st July. The winning community will receive a further £100,000 for further energy saving or generating measures.

Arthur Butler said "It’s been really interesting finding out what the groups I saw back in 2009 have achieved, and to talk to British Gas about their plans in energy efficiency and renewable generation. Some more people from British Gas recently attended another course at CAT run by Tobi Kellner in the WISE building (which they loved) and I know some of them personally supported the WISE appeal. I think it’s a great link to maintain, and excellent to see environmental changes happening both in communities and companies."

About British Gas Green Streets

For further information please contact Gwilym Hookway-Morgan at Blue Rubicon on 0207 260 2700 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About British Gas Green Streets

British Gas Green Streets is a groundbreaking project helping Britain’s communities to be more sustainable. British Gas has provided £2 million to fund microgeneration and energy efficiency measures to help 14 communities around the UK save and generate energy.

From inner city communities in London and Birmingham to a remote Scottish island, the 14 communities came up with their own innovative energy projects and were selected from almost 100 applicants to take part in Green Streets 2010/11.

These communities are competing until April 2011 for a chance to win up to a further £100,000 to invest in a local environmental project of their choice. 

What are the communities doing?

Each community had to come up with an energy project that focussed on saving energy, generating energy locally and engaging their wider community.  Each project had at least one community building and at least 15 homes. As a team, they worked with British Gas to execute their plan.

British Gas provided advice and support, as well as technological expertise and carried out energy assessments on all of the residential homes to help all those participating to choose how to save energy.