Saltdean Climate Action Network (SCAN) has partnered with Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-operative (BHESCo) to develop a community-led decarbonisation plan for Saltdean.
The one-year project ran from August 2025 to August 2026, funded by Great British Energy’s Community Energy Fund and administered by the Greater South East Net Zero Hub.
The Saltdean Decarbonisation Plan is Ready!
We’re delighted to announce that the Saltdean Decarbonisation Plan has been published and is and available to review.
Developed by BHESCo, in partnership with local residents and the Saltdean Climate Action Network (SCAN), the report sets out a practical pathway for Saltdean to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency and support a cleaner, more affordable energy future for the community.
The Saltdean Decarbonisation Plan brings together insights from local research, home energy surveys and conversations with residents to explore the opportunities and challenges facing Saltdean.
It sets out a range of actions that households and community groups can take to help make the area more energy efficient and resilient.
It highlights practical opportunities for renewable energy, energy efficiency and community-led action, while recognising the unique needs of Saltdean’s homes and residents.
This is not just a report. It is a roadmap for action and a starting point for Saltdean’s journey towards a cleaner, greener future.
Saltdean Community Evening — A Great Success!
On 28 July, over 40 Saltdean residents came together at St Nicholas Church Hall for an inspiring evening dedicated to the future of their community. Hosted by BHESCo and Saltdean Climate Action Network (SCAN), the event marked a significant milestone in the Saltdean Decarbonisation project — the first public presentation of the Saltdean Decarbonisation Action Plan.
The evening was opened by Councillor Dr. Mark Earthey, a member of the SCAN Steering Committee, who welcomed residents and introduced the project and its significance for the community.
Nathan Morgan, BHESCo’s Senior Technical Lead, walked residents through the key findings of the study — covering Saltdean’s current carbon emissions, three decarbonisation scenarios, and practical recommendations for reducing energy bills and cutting carbon across heating, transport and electricity generation.
The evening also featured two local residents who shared their honest, first-hand experiences of installing a heat pump and solar panels — bringing the report’s findings to life in the most relatable way possible. Their stories sparked real interest and lively conversation throughout the room.
After a refreshment break where residents mingled, asked questions informally and chatted with the project team — the evening closed with an engaged Q&A session that showed just how much appetite there is in Saltdean to take action.
The next steps and full Saltdean Decarbonisation Action Plan report will be published on this page very soon. Watch this space!
SCAN Steering Committee reviews first draft report
On 24 June, BHESCo presented the first draft of the Saltdean Decarbonisation Action Plan to the SCAN Steering Committee. BHESCo’s Project Developer, Nathan, explained Saltdean’s current carbon emissions, three decarbonisation scenarios, and practical recommendations spanning heat pump adoption, home retrofits, EV charging and community-owned renewable energy.
The Committee provided valuable feedback, which will be incorporated ahead of finalising the report.
BHESCo and SCAN will soon host a community event to bring the findings to public notice. Details on date and venue to be shared shortly.
Saltdean Decarbonisation Scenarios Meeting
After the successful Retrofit Suppliers’ Day in March, BHESCo met with the SCAN Steering Committee on 8 April to review three potential decarbonisation scenarios for Saltdean. These scenarios outline different pathways for reducing carbon emissions from homes, transport, and local energy systems over the coming years.
Scenario 1: Baseline
A “business as usual” future with slow uptake of heat pumps, EVs, and solar.
Scenario 2: Moderate progress
A steady transition with more heat pumps in 60–70% of homes, 70–80% EV adoption and solar on 30–40% of roofs.
Scenario 3: Net zero leader
An ambitious route with heat pumps in 80–95% of homes, near-total EV use, lots of rooftop solar, community wind and battery storage, reaching net zero with strong local benefits.
The meeting agreed on all three scenarios to take forward into detailed modelling.
What happens next:
- BHESCo will now run the full modelling for all three scenarios.
- A first draft report of the decarbonisation plan will be shared with stakeholders in June 2026
- The final plan will be submitted to the Greater Southeast Net Zero Hub in August 2026
We will keep the community updated and continue working with SCAN, whose local expertise is essential for validating the modelling assumptions. If you have any thoughts on these scenarios or would like to contribute, please do get in touch.
Saltdean Retrofit Suppliers' Day
On 7th March, BHESCo, in partnership with SCAN, hosted a Retrofit Suppliers’ Day at St Nicholas Church as part of the Saltdean Decarbonisation Action Plan.
The event welcomed around 50 local residents and brought together eight trusted retrofit suppliers, creating an opportunity for the community to explore practical ways to make their homes warmer, greener, and more energy efficient.
Residents had the chance to speak directly with local experts about a range of home improvements, including insulation, solar panels, heat pumps, and secondary glazing. The afternoon also included short presentations from suppliers, followed by informal discussions where residents could ask questions and learn more about the technologies, costs, and potential savings involved in home energy upgrades.
Events like this play an important role in shaping the Saltdean Decarbonisation Plan, helping connect residents with trusted experts and practical solutions to reduce energy use, lower bills, and cut carbon emissions across the community.
BHESCo will continue working with residents and local partners over the coming months to develop the Saltdean Decarbonisation Plan and support households interested in improving the energy efficiency of their homes.
Interested in making your home warmer, greener, and cheaper to run?
Get in touch with BHESCo or book a home energy survey to receive tailored advice on the most effective improvements for your property. You can also read case studies to see how BHESCo has helped other households reduce energy use, cut bills, and make their homes more comfortable.
Home Energy Surveys
In frame: BHESCo Retrofit Assessor, Tim Beecher carrying out survey and thermal imaging for a houshold in Saltdean
As part of developing Saltdean’s Decarbonisation Plan, BHESCo is carrying out a small number of home energy surveys across six identified housing archetypes in the area.
These are not EPC assessments and will not be updated or registered as an Energy Performance Certificate. Instead, they are thermal efficiency checks designed to form an opinion how these homes perform in real-world conditions.
The purpose of the surveys is to validate the housing and EPC data already gathered for Saltdean by providing a baseline for scrutiny. This quality-control step ensures that the energy efficiency assumptions used in the final Decarbonisation Plan are robust, accurate, and credible.
Community Launch Event - Saltdean Decarbonisation Plan
On 27th November 2025, BHESCo and SCAN hosted a packed community launch event at Saltdean Lido to introduce the Saltdean Community Decarbonisation Plan. Local residents joined an evening of presentations, film and discussion to explore how Saltdean can become cleaner, fairer and more energy‑efficient through community‑led action on home energy, transport and local renewables.
BHESCo’s CEO and founder, Kayla Ente, opened the evening with a presentation explaining what a decarbonisation plan is, how it brings together data, local knowledge, and investment to cut emissions, and the practical benefits it can deliver for households, from warmer homes to lower energy bills.
Kayla also set out a vision for Saltdean as a low-carbon leader on the South Coast, showing how community ownership and collaboration can unlock projects that would not happen otherwise, while creating new local jobs in the growing green economy.
This was followed by a talk from Malcolm Spencer of Ovingdean Community Energy (OCE), where BHESCo is already supporting residents to take action on a decarbonisation plan developed as part of the Stage 1 Ovingdean Decarbonisation Plan.
He shared early lessons, insights from his experience with BHESCo, and ideas that could help shape Saltdean’s own journey.
The audience asked thoughtful questions about heat pumps, rooftop solar, energy advice, and how the plan would reflect the needs of different streets and households, highlighting strong local interest.
As a bonus, the evening ended with a screening of the documentary film “Power Station”, which shows what is possible when communities take the lead in transforming their neighbourhoods, from generating clean power to reimagining shared spaces.
The film sparked lively conversations about how Saltdean could build its own version of this story and become a beacon of community-powered climate action.
The event marked the start of a year-long process to co-design the plan with residents. This includes six household energy surveys to confirm each home archetype in our EPC database, an upcoming Supplier’s Day to connect people with trusted installers, and opportunities for community-owned projects such as rooftop solar, heat decarbonisation and improved public spaces.
Attendees were invited to share their ideas, priorities and concerns so the final plan truly reflects Saltdean’s ambitions, laying the foundation for a greener, warmer and more resilient neighbourhood powered by its community.
Retrofit guide for Saltdean residents
As part of our programme to design a decarbonisation plan for Saltdean, BHESCo have designed a booklet packed with information on the home improvements that will increase comfort, lower bills, and reduce carbon emissions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who are Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-operative (BHESCo)?
BHESCo is a social enterprise which has developed more than sixty low-carbon energy projects since 2015. Most projects are financed at no upfront cost using a ‘Pay As You Save’ finance model. BHESCo has raised nearly £2 million of finance from more than 475 investors. Most recently, BHESCo completed work on Brighton’s first neighbourhood-scale solar power and battery programme, where participating residents could get systems installed at no upfront cost.
Where has the funding for this project come from?
The funding is a part of GB Energy’s Community Energy fund.
Why is this project taking place in Saltdean?
We decided to focus on Saltdean as a location following discussions with the Saltdean Climate Action Network (SCAN), who will be acting as key partners. As a coastal area, Saltdean has excellent wind and solar power potential. There is also a high percentage of homeownership, which means people can make decisions about their properties.
In partnership with:
Project funded and administered by:
1 Comment
Anonymous · 20/11/2025 at 14:07
Hoping that the Decarbonisation Plan will be the first step in bring low-cost, low-carbon energy to the people of Saltdean