Making a difference with remarkable retrofits
The Unlock Our Future Fund supports many renewable and smart tech projects, but the fund also supports many retrofit projects to improve the energy efficiency and lower heat demand in a wide range of community facilities.
The Vattenfall Unlock Our Future Fund has now completed seven years of grant-making, supporting community-led climate action projects across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. In its seventh year, the Fund reached two major milestones: supporting more than 110 projects to date and surpassing £1 million in total funding awarded, with £1,030,257 distributed since 2019.
With a specific focus on fund promotion in north-east Aberdeenshire in the past two years, it was particularly positive to see several new groups supported in this area, delivering practical projects of this kind – some modest and some very technical and ambitious - to reduce energy demand and improve the thermal comfort of several important community buildings.
These are just a few of the retrofit projects delivered in the past year, from funding awards made in 2024.
Strichen Town House SCIO – Insulation and Glazing
Strichen Town House is a Category A-listed former town hall, which has a prominent location in the village. Following an Asset Transfer from the local authority in 2016, Strichen Town House Trust SCIO was created in November 2019 to carry out the refurbishment of the iconic building on behalf of the community. The building was constructed in the early 1800s and consists of a ground-floor meeting space, a main hall upstairs and a tower containing a spiral staircase and belfry. The construction of the building is solid granite, with detailed elements in sandstone.
Funding for the first stage of restoration was secured from the Aberdeenshire Council Place Based Investment Programme together with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2023. However, delays in the procurement process, and the need for a higher specification for re-lining and insulating the North Wall, following a retrofit Energy Audit Plan by Matthew Clubb Ltd, resulted in the final quotes for the works being significantly higher than the secured grant allocation, with the required match funding being very significantly increased.
This prompted an application to the UOFF fund for £20,000 towards the shortfall of £25,000 for a total project cost of around £95,000.
The age and listing of the building meant that there were additional challenges for the group. They enlisted professional technical support from their architect on the project plans and sought additional specialist advice on retrofitting from Matt Clubb. They maintained a close working relationship with Aberdeenshire Council throughout the process, particularly regarding the specific issues around listed building consent and planning permission for the historic building.
The UOFF funding supported the costs of repairing the wooden windows, and the stripping out, re-lining, plaster boarding and insulation of the Upper Hall. This project represents the first phase of a wider plan to improve the whole building, but it has already made significant improvements for the benefit of the whole community.
Local volunteer, Gerald Banks, said:
| “The Upper Hall has been brought back from a state of dereliction to a usable, large 6m x 10m meeting space, in the Grade A Listed building, for the whole community of Strichen. The 200-year-old building provided challenges to the contractors, but these were all easily addressed thanks to their experience of similar projects. Installing insulation to walls and ceiling was the first step in providing any such investment in the Town House, together with window repair and fitting secondary glazing. These actions have delivered a dry, warm, Community Asset that will be cost-effective to manage for the long term.” |
Fraserburgh Men’s Shed – Insulation and LED Lighting
Fraserburgh & District Men's Shed SCIO (F&DMS) provides a safe, inclusive space and social hub for over 18’s.
The group aims to uphold the values of the Scottish and UK Men's Sheds Associations by encouraging friendships and teamworking on projects that benefit the community through cookery, art and singing classes; repair and supply playground equipment to local schools and nurseries; and work with FairshareGo to collect and redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste. The facility is currently used around 15 hours per week by approximately 70 people.
The group recently bought their premises, a former religious meeting hall, which they had been renting for a number of years.
They intend to make some improvements to reduce energy requirements, keep the running costs down and improve the comfort of the building for members. They commissioned a free energy report from Business Energy Scotland and are now working through the recommendations.
The building was constructed in 1955 and has no insulation. As a first step to reduce heat demand, they installed a suspended and insulated ceiling in the meeting hall to reduce the space that needs to be heated and reduce heat loss from the building, and installed LED lights. The group was awarded £4,700 to fully fund this project, working with local contractors to deliver the improvements in a coordinated and timely manner.
Committee member, Sandra Marshall, reflected:
| “As the project took place in early spring, we have been unable to compare energy bills from the past winter period - however, the room now benefits from better lighting and acoustics, and it definitely feels warmer and brighter. By creating a more energy-efficient and welcoming space, we have strengthened our organisation’s sustainability, ensuring resources are used wisely and costs are reduced. Foundation Scotland’s support has been invaluable to our organisation. The Vattenfall funding has not only helped us improve our facilities but also strengthened our ability to provide a safe, warm, and inclusive environment for our community. This investment will have a lasting impact, enabling us to focus more of our energy on delivering our services and supporting the people who need us most.” |
Mormond West Parish Church - Insulation
Mormond West is a Church of Scotland Parish Church, also in Strichen. The church plays an active role in supporting the wider community and the church hall is in daily use for a range of local activities. Since 2018, the church has established free community cafes targeting a range of ages with a focus on inclusion, health and well-being. Church volunteers operate a Sharing Larder and deliver Wellbeing Parcels with food donations from local businesses, farmers and local households. In response to the economic crisis, the church also provides food to Strichen Primary School Breakfast Club, which continues through the holidays. They offer a warm space in the church hall for community cafes and a range of other activities, including the Baby Music Group, Mothers & Baby group, as well as providing quiet spaces and computer access for school-aged children and adult learners.
To improve the energy efficiency of the building and help lower running costs, the group applied for funding to install roof insulation. They were initially awarded £3,000 to insulate the church hall roof space, with the suggestion that they increase the specification of the insulation proposed from 200mm to 300mm, which is the standard recommendation for this measure. An additional £552 was subsequently awarded to meet the extra cost of this work.
The importance of warm and accessible community spaces as been recognised.
In the applicant’s own words:
“Our community cafe is open to all from in and around our community. We are particularly aiming at those who are carers, people living with dementia, disabilities or who live in single households who may feel isolated and alone. We hope to provide respite, build connections and strengthen friendships between those who attend and the volunteers. The fund’s support enabled the installation of roof insulation in our hall where we hold community outreach events. We anticipate this will help to reduce our energy use, and costs which will contribute to sustaining our activities for the foreseeable future.
There is an increased bond between people, they all enjoy their time, refreshments and homebakes. One of our regular attendees had her 90th birthday, we celebrated with her, presented a birthday cake and card to mark this milestone achievement which she very much enjoyed as she lives on her own.” |
Read more about the Vattenfall Unlock Our Future Fund