The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is the UK’s leading organization working to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions.

EST, a charitable organisation, works with people, communities, and businesses to address sustainable living and climate emergencies. The role of EST in 2025 is more important than ever as the urgency of climate change and net zero targets rise.

With gas and electricity prices soaring, businesses, households, and local authorities are on the hunt for ways to save on energy bills and reduce their carbon footprints. EST advises on a range of subjects, from insulation to access to renewable energy systems.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about EST and how you can get involved.

What Is the Energy Saving Trust?

The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is a UK-based charity focused on improving energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy, and tackling the climate emergency. EST was founded in 1992 and works with governments, local authorities, private sector partners, and community organisations to inspire change at every level.

EST’s mission includes providing energy-efficient solutions, lowering carbon emissions, lowering energy bills, and empowering individuals and businesses to a sustainable future.

What Does the Energy Saving Trust Do?

The EST delivers a range of services and initiatives to advance energy efficiency, promote renewable energy, and support individuals and organizations to take action on the climate emergency.

It helps partners achieve a more sustainable, low-carbon future, working to empower communities across Scotland, England, Wales, and the wider UK.

Core services

EST’s services span education, advocacy, and financial support to make energy-saving solutions more accessible:

• Education on renewable energy and insulation: EST gives practical advice on how to cut energy bills in your home and workplace. It includes advice about insulation to help keep the heat in and instructions for using renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, to avoid having to rely on gas or electricity.
• Promoting energy efficiency to reduce energy bills: As energy prices rise, the EST also helps households and businesses cut energy bills and reduce their environmental impact.
• Administering grants: The funds of Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) are managed by EST, which uses the money to help vulnerable communities and support projects promoting sustainable energy use.
• Collaborating with Ofgem: EST is a trusted partner of Ofgem and works with the organization to help drive energy systems in line with national energy action plans and climate goals.

Specific programs

The Energy Saving Trust spearheads several impactful initiatives like:

• Scottish and UK-wide Initiatives for community energy projects: Local energy initiatives, where communities produce and manage their own renewable energy, are supported by EST.
• Supporting net-zero and low-carbon goals: EST advocates for and educates, helping to drive progress towards the UK’s net zero targets so it transitions to low-carbon energy systems that address the climate emergency.

Related read: What is net zero

Key Focus Areas of EST

The Energy Saving Trust works on critical areas that drive energy efficiency, promote renewable energy uptake, and combat climate change.

EST remains a key player in the UK’s path to a sustainable, low-carbon future. These are the focus areas EST works on:

Energy efficiency

EST’s mission is based on energy efficiency. It offers advice and help to help improve insulation, integrate solar energy systems, and retrofit properties to save energy and cut bills.

This means these solutions reduce the cost of energy bills and make your homes and businesses more energy efficient.

Take, for example, the work of EST in Scotland, where it collaborated with National Energy Action, a charity, to advocate for the creation of energy-efficient homes with higher levels of insulation and solar panels to reduce dependence on traditional gas and electricity. These initiatives have the effect of helping individual homeowners and nudging the needle on national energy action plans.

Renewable energy

There are EST Grant schemes to help people take up renewable energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, and heat pumps. These grants help pay the upfront cost of renewable energy solutions.

Addressing the climate emergency

EST is proactively dealing with the causes of climate change. The organization advocates for systemic energy savings and reduced emissions to enable the UK to achieve its net zero targets.

All of EST’s work on renewable energy adoption, energy-efficient practices, and community initiatives helps to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Local authority collaboration

Local councils partner with EST to come up with policies and initiatives to realize net zero objectives. Through these partnerships, they help local authorities in Scotland, England, and Wales introduce insulation programs, renewable energy projects, and other sustainability-focused strategies.

Private sector partnerships

EST works in partnership with private sector companies to develop and promote low-carbon energy systems, recognizing the importance of industry involvement. These collaborations are using their resources and expertise to foster innovation and to make energy-saving technologies more widely available.

Related roles with job descriptions: Certified eco consultant | Carbon accountant

Grants and Schemes Offered by EST

The organization administers a range of grants and schemes to help make energy-efficient and renewable energy solutions available to individuals, businesses, and communities.

Below are some important programs they offer.

Energy redress scheme

Funded by Ofgem, it helps charitable organizations tackle energy poverty and increase energy efficiency.

Projects funded by this scheme help vulnerable households lower their gas and electricity consumption through improved insulation, energy advice, or improved energy systems.

Renewable energy grants

EST Grant schemes help people take up renewable energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, and heat pumps. These grants assist in paying the upfront cost of renewable energy solutions, making them more accessible to homeowners, businesses and community projects.

Insulation and efficiency grants

EST grants are for insulating and retrofitting to reduce heat loss and energy waste. These energy-efficient solutions can lower energy bills and address the climate emergency. It’s particularly important in areas such as Scotland, where heating bills can suddenly shoot up in a bitter winter.

Community energy initiatives

Grant and expert advice help EST actively support local energy projects. Community-based initiatives of producing renewable energy help communities to grow in a resilient and sustainable way. It could involve local groups managing a wind energy cooperative or a solar energy farm and benefiting the whole region.

EST implements these targeted programs to ensure that sustainable energy solutions are affordable, convenient, and serve the common good of society.

Success Stories and Case Studies

Many successful initiatives spearheaded by the Energy Saving Trust have made a difference locally.

• Support of energy-efficient homes in Scotland, where winters can be harsh and heating costs high.
• EST funded hundreds of homes to become energy-efficient properties, reducing gas and electricity consumption through grants for insulation and renewable energy systems.
• Energy bills have been lowered for residents while living conditions have also been improved — most notably for lower-income families.

Another compelling example of community energy initiatives supported by EST in England.

EST guided and funded the establishment of a solar energy cooperative in one rural village. Residents were able to generate their own electricity, cut costs, and lessen reliance on fossil fuels.

Such programs go beyond just financial savings.

They also help foster a sense of community, support resilience to energy price fluctuations, and help the UK reach its net zero goals. The lessons from these case studies highlight the importance of EST in building a more sustainable and just energy future.

Why Is the Energy Saving Trust Important?

The EST is an essential component in the response to some of the most urgent environmental and social problems of our time.

With the UK committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, EST’s work in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable practices is more important than ever, because: 

• Energy poverty across the UK rose in 2024.
• People are dealing with rising energy bills. 
• EST supports energy-efficient practices such as better insulation and solar panel installation.

Measures like these lower household energy costs, which are good for the economy and the environment and contribute to larger national energy savings.

Outside the UK, work being done by EST contributes to global initiatives in the fight against climate change. The transition to sustainable communities globally is supported by the organization’s commitment to help reduce carbon footprints and encourage low-carbon energy systems. 

How You Can Get Involved

The Energy Saving Trust lets you easily become involved in the fight against climate change.

It offers several ways in which you can help create a low-carbon future, whether you’re an individual who’d like to make greener choices or an organization looking to start using energy more efficiently.

It’s an excellent first step for people to apply for grants. Renewable energy grants or insulation schemes can help to make homes more energy efficient, which cuts energy bills and carbon emissions. EST gives community members the opportunity to get involved in local authorities who work with EST to implement green initiatives, such as solar energy projects or community energy schemes.

EST works with organisations, such as businesses and charities, by encouraging energy-efficient solutions and working on sustainability projects together.

EST can help amplify the impact of your efforts by partnering with local councils or other stakeholders on EST-backed initiatives while supporting broader net zero goals.

Here at Leafr, we want to help our clients implement EST’s recommendations in their projects. We make sure that whatever you install, whether it’s solar panels, better insulation, or energy efficient buildings, it meets your sustainability goals but also our mission.

We can work together to save you energy and money, and build a greener future.

The Future of Energy Saving: What Lies Ahead for EST?

In the run-up to the UK’s 2050 net zero target date, the EST is poised to have an even bigger role to play in helping to shape a greener future.

Change is happening fast in the energy landscape as technology continues to advance, policy regimes are changing, and the public increasingly understands the need to address climate change. 

In this regard, EST’s work will be expanded and adapted to meet emerging challenges and engineered for new opportunities by:

• Integrating cutting-edge technologies into energy systems.
• Adopting new energy innovations, such as smart grids, battery storage, and advanced heat pump systems that change the way energy is generated, stored and consumed.
• Achieving widespread energy efficiency and slashing carbon emissions by educating and supporting businesses, local authorities, and individuals in adopting these technologies.
• Scaling up community energy initiatives, making it possible for local groups to produce, manage, and share renewable energy, and allow regional development to be driven by sustainable economic growth.

As the effects of climate change impacts become more visible, EST will need to deepen its working relationships with local authorities, private sector partners, and policymakers. This means having a single approach to problems like energy poverty, rising energy bills, and the global climate emergency.

The UK’s transition to a low-carbon, energy-efficient future is the focus for EST, which has a proven track record in delivering a sustainable future.

Final thoughts

The Energy Saving Trust is a vital force driven by the climate emergency. Its efforts to promote energy efficiency and support renewable energy adoption have a real impact in helping to build a low carbon future.

As part of this commitment, we at Leafrhelp individuals and organizations adopt energy-saving practices by hiring the right professionals.

Related roles with job descriptions: Climate consultant | Carbon neutral consultant | Net Zero consultant