South East London Community Energy-SELCE co-op

What South East London Community Energy-SELCE co-op does

South East London Community Energy (SELCE) is a community benefit society and member-owned cooperative founded in 2015 (registered as South East London Community Energy Ltd), headquartered at The Forum@Greenwich in London SE10. The organisation operates three integrated service lines across four South East London boroughs (Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark). First, it installs and operates renewable energy infrastructure — approximately 0.5 MW of solar PV across 11 sites (schools, community centres, leisure centres, and hotels including the Intercontinental) and LED lighting retrofits at 11 community buildings under its "LEDing the Way" programme, with a 60kW heat pump project launched in 2026. Second, it delivers a free, grant-funded energy advice service reaching approximately 2,000 residents per year, achieving average household savings of around £440 annually through grant access and tariff guidance. Third, it raises project capital through community share offers — a community finance model in which members invest £250–£35,000 per share offer and receive a forecast 4% annual return over terms up to 10 years, with seven share offers completed totalling multiple community-financed installations.

SELCE's business model blends commercial renewable energy operations with subsidised charitable services. Revenue/operating inflows derive from community share offers (project capital, not revenue per se), recurring LED annual fees under a "pay as you save" model at less than 50% of client savings, capital grants from London community energy funds (LCEF, LewCEF, HCEF, Greenwich CEF), a £125+VAT residential solar feasibility service, and grants for fuel poverty and private renter advocacy work. Notable technical differentiators include shared solar systems for multi-dwelling flat buildings — a technology that splits energy from a single rooftop array across multiple units — and long-term (20-year) installation contracts with ongoing maintenance and monitoring. The organisation reaches customers through energy cafes, community festivals (Festival of Retrofit, Telegraph Hill Festival), local authority partnerships, and referral networks across South East London. Its governance follows a "one member, one vote" cooperative model with co-chairs Kate Parker and Nadia, and CEO/co-founder Giovanna Speciale leading an organisation that experienced 2025 funding challenges requiring staff reductions while maintaining award-winning service delivery.

Name

South East London Community Energy-SELCE co-op

Legal name

South East London Community Energy Ltd

Website

https://selce.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South East London Community Energy (SELCE) is a member-owned cooperative that installs community-financed solar PV (~0.5 MW across 11 sites), LED lighting retrofits, and heat pumps on schools and community buildings in South East London, while delivering free energy advice to approximately 2,000 vulnerable households per year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Community Share Offers: SELCE raises community finance through share offers to install solar panels, LED lighting, and heat pumps on community buildings. Community members invest in shares (minimum £250, maximum £20,000-£35,000) and receive a forecast annual return of 4%. The installations generate savings for community buildings which help repay investors.
2. LED Lighting Annual Fee: For LED installations, community buildings pay an annual fee (less than 50% of their energy savings) to SELCE under a 'pay as you save' model. This generates recurring revenue while buildings save money compared to their previous lighting costs.
3. Solar Feasibility Reports: SELCE charges £125 + VAT for residential solar feasibility reports, with an additional £100 for home visits. The report provides recommended system capacity, inverter type, roof design images, cost estimates, and generation figures.
4. Fuel Poverty Support Services: Mainly grant-funded services providing free energy advice, helping people access insulation grants, and supporting vulnerable households. This service is subsidised by surplus from solar operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SELCE is a community benefit society that installs and operates community-financed solar PV (~0.5 MW across 11 sites), LED lighting retrofits (across 11 sites), and heat pumps on schools, leisure centres, and other community buildings in South East London. It delivers free one-to-one energy advice and home retrofit guidance to residents and households, and raises capital through periodic community share offers where members invest (minimum £250) to fund installations and receive a forecast 4% annual return.

Product overview

South East London Community Energy (SELCE) is a community energy cooperative offering a portfolio of energy services focused on reducing fuel poverty and building community-owned renewable energy. The core offering consists of three main strands: (1) free energy advice services for individuals and households struggling with energy bills, (2) community-financed renewable energy installations including solar PV across 11 sites (~0.5 MW capacity) and LED lighting retrofits across 11 sites, and (3) community share offers enabling local investment in clean energy projects with financial returns. Supporting services include residential solar feasibility assessments, heat pump installations, private renter advocacy, and innovative shared solar systems for flat buildings. The organization operates a 'pay as you save' model enabling community buildings to access upgrades at zero upfront cost, with surplus from energy installations subsidizing the charitable fuel poverty advice service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LEDing the Way: Energy efficient lighting upgrades for community buildings at zero-up-front cost. Part of SELCE's community financing model.

Products and services

• Energy Advice Service Free expert, independent, one-to-one energy advice for residents of South East London, including help with bills, grants access, and home efficiency improvements.
• Solar PV Installation Community-financed solar panel installations on schools, community centres, leisure centres, and other community buildings across South East London. SELCE owns and operates approximately 0.5 MW of solar across 11 sites, selling energy to community buildings at reduced rates.
• LEDing the Way LED Lighting Retrofit Energy efficient LED lighting upgrades for community buildings including schools, community centres, libraries and leisure centres, delivered via community share offers on a pay-as-you-save model at zero upfront cost.
• Residential Solar Feasibility Service Expert residential solar advisory service providing desktop feasibility reports, quote assessment across multiple factors, and follow-up consultation to help homeowners make informed decisions about solar installations.
• Heat Pump Installation Heat pump installation services for community buildings, with a 60kW heat pump project for Charlton Park Academy powering a 24/7 hydrotherapy pool.
• Community Share Offers Community investment opportunities allowing members to invest in renewable energy projects (solar, LED, heat pumps) with forecast returns, supporting local clean energy generation while providing financial returns to investors.
• Private Renter Advocacy Service Free pilot advocacy program for private renters in Lewisham experiencing disrepair or negative rental relationships, providing home visits, repair advocacy, complaint escalation support, and connections to energy efficiency grants.
• Retrofit Advice and Assessment Whole house retrofit planning, Energy Performance Certificates, thermal imaging reports, and guidance on insulation, heat pumps, and home energy efficiency improvements.
• Shared Solar for Flats Shared solar system technology that splits energy from a single rooftop solar system between multiple dwellings in flat buildings, addressing the under-representation of solar on flats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average household saving of £440 per year from free energy advice
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SE24coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister community energy group working in partnership with SELCE to support delivery of LED lighting installations in Southwark and Lambeth. Collaboration on shared share offers and project delivery.
• Lewisham CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for SELCE's private renters advocacy pilot programme. Supporting with additional advice and enforcement resources for the programme delivered in partnership.
• Community Energy LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of community energy groups across London. SELCE participates in the wider London community energy ecosystem with nearly one group for every borough.
• Hackney Light and Power (HLP)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal energy services organisation that connected Waterside Academy with SELCE for the LED retrofit project collaboration.
• Community Schools TrustminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrust overseeing Waterside Academy in Hackney. Partnered with SELCE for LED lighting installation at the school.
• Smart Energy GBminorOthersGovernment-backed organisation providing information about smart meters. SELCE refers people to Smart Energy GB website for more information.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Energy Action (NEA): UK national fuel poverty charity providing energy advice and policy advocacy; comparable fuel poverty mission but operating nationally with significantly larger resources than SELCE.
• Citizens Advice (Energy Advice): National free energy advice service; a much larger incumbent providing a comparable service to SELCE's free energy advice arm but at national scale and through government-funded channels.

Direct peers

• Hackney Community Energy / Hackney Light and Power: Community energy organisation in East London delivering solar and LED retrofits via community share offers; closely comparable to SELCE's LEDing the Way programme (e.g., Waterside Academy project).
• Big Solar Co-op: UK-wide community-owned solar cooperative raising capital through community share offers to finance mid-scale solar installations; shares the cooperative fundraising and ownership model.
• Carbon Co-op: Manchester-based community energy cooperative providing energy advice, retrofit support, and community-owned renewables; comparable mission and one-member-one-vote governance.
• Repowering London: London-based community energy cooperative developing community-owned solar projects on social housing rooftops; uses a similar cooperative model and partnership approach to SELCE.
• Energise Sussex: Community energy co-op delivering solar, LED, and energy advice services in Sussex using a similar cooperative structure and grant+share-offer financing approach.
• Low Carbon Hub: Oxfordshire-based community energy organisation operating community-owned solar and renewable installations with community share offers; comparable scale and operating model outside London.
• SE24: Sister London community energy group working in partnership with SELCE on LED installations in Southwark and Lambeth; near-identical operating model and shared share-offer infrastructure.
• Brixton Energy (Repowering): Inner-London community solar cooperative; one of the earliest community share-offer solar models in the UK, offering direct comparison on funding structures and beneficiary engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@seloncommenergy
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthEastLondonCommunityEnergy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-east-london-community-energy-selce-co-op
• Instagraminstagram.com/seloncommenergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South East London Community Energy-SELCE co-op