The co-op (a local Friends of the Earth group with its own constitution) seeks to install wall insulation, solar panels and a battery in The Warehouse, the red-brick Victorian buildings it occupies in Allison Street, and to make heritage windows energy-efficient with secondary or double-glazing and draught-proofing.
The investment would also pay for a low-temperature heating system, in readiness for a heat pump in the next four to five years.
As Birmingham and the region marks West Midlands Retrofit Action Week, the cost-saving upgrades at The Warehouse, which build on a succession of insulation improvements by volunteers over the years, could offer a model for other organisations based in heritage commercial and industrial buildings, says Birmingham Friends of the Earth CEO Karen Leach. It also shows the importance of less glamorous building work over eye-catching green technology alone, she says.
"We need to do so much more about saving energy,” Leach says. "If we insulate our houses, we're not using as much energy whatever energy it is".
"It's so important to me to have that focus. It’s where funding needs to go. It's much easier to slap solar on a roof even if the roof needs structural work than it is to insulate internally”.
Investors in the share offer, who each become a co-owner of The Warehouse and a voting member of Birmingham Friends of the Earth, will receive 2-3% interest on their share capital.
Every £2 raised is matched with £1 under the Energy Sharematch scheme being run by Cooperatives UK and Crowdfunder and funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment, with money from the Dormant Assets Scheme.
It is estimated the upgrades would cut The Warehouse’s carbon footprint by approximately one to two tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, and reduce the buildings’ annual energy costs by at least £740 and up to £3,660. It would improve the comfort of spaces in the building throughout the year.
The Warehouse is home to a number of charities and social enterprises besides Birmingham Friends of the Earth. It holds a café run by Birmingham Race Impact Group, bike shop Sprocket Cycles, the Brum Radio studio, independent bookshop Voce Books and a wildlife garden. It is an ever-popular hub for activist and community-interest group meetings and events.
“It's very much living to our principles - we want to minimise our impact on the environment,” says Karen Leach. “We're here for so many different groups. A more efficient building is good for them and future-proofs The Warehouse.
“It could quite easily be a demonstration project - there are a few about and the more the better. People are sceptical about retrofit to cut carbon emissions, then they see that it can work for them”.
She praised energy advisor Phil Beardmore as critical to the success of the project – “he always gives 120%; he gave us really good advice and asked us questions”.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth started in 1972, with an early commitment not just to campaign but to demonstrate practical solutions to environmental problems. For four years it was run from a front room in Passey Road, Moseley, before moving to The Warehouse in 1977.
The buildings date back to the 1860s and at different times have been used as stabling, an ice cream factory, an industrial kitchen, an engraver and a wine merchant.
When Friends of the Earth first arrived, the main space had 10cm of rotting lentils all over the floor. Volunteers worked hard to make it usable as office space and in 1986 the organisation bought The Warehouse with a grant from West Midlands County Council and help from supporters.
The current share offer follows a drive ten years ago to insulate the then-unused middle bay of The Warehouse and improve accessibility. The £250,000 project was carried out by Balsall Heath charity The Jericho Foundation.
Other landmark buildings in Birmingham refurbished to high energy efficiency standards include the former Padmore & Sons Billiards Factory in Edmund Street, which saw its EPC rating improve from an E to an A, and Art Deco office building 5 St Philips Place, originally home to the Prudential insurance company.
In 2022-23, coalition of community, faith and climate groups Retrofit Balsall Heath plus community association Acocks Greener supported residents of 649 homes across Birmingham to apply for Government Green Homes grants, in the biggest Local Authority Delivery (LAD) retrofit initiative of its kind.
To invest in the Decarbonise the Warehouse share offer, please go to the Crowdfunder page - https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/decarbonise-the-warehouse/backers#start