The countdown to the 2015 Ashden Awards has begun, with the announcement of the shortlists for the UK and Sustainable Travel Awards. The process will end with the announcements of this year's winners at the annual ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society on 11 June. One of last year's winners, The Centre for Sustainable Energy, helps Somali women in Bristol negotiate the utility bill minefield.

This year’s UK shortlist includes two organisations focusing on scaling up local renewable energy generation, two companies that have developed innovative ways of reducing the energy consumption of large buildings, two organisations working to alleviate fuel poverty and a building services engineering company influencing building design to increase energy efficiency.

2015 Ashden UK Awards shortlist

*The London Borough of Islington’s SHINE initiative (fuel poverty)
*Beat the Cold (fuel poverty)
*Max Fordham (building design)
*Demand Logic (energy consumption – large buildings)
*Enistic (energy consumption – large buildings)
*TGV Hydro (renewables)
*The Low Carbon Hub (renewables)

To give an idea of the kind of projects which could be in line for an award, here are three
in greater detail.

Beat the Cold in Stoke-on-Trent helps ease the ill-health, anxiety and misery of fuel poverty by supporting Staffordshire’s vulnerable households to heat their homes to a comfortable level. Key services include arranging for heating repairs, helping people with cost-saving measures like draught proofing or loft insulation, showing families how to switch fuel companies and tariffs, and how to access discounts. It also acts as an advocate and negotiates with energy suppliers on its clients’ behalf. With support provided over the phone, at public events and through home visits, about 1,300 households are helped every year, putting more money in people’s pockets and giving them warmer, healthier homes.

The Low Carbon Hub is on a mission to create a cleaner, greener Oxfordshire and put power back in the hands of its people. With financial backing from Oxford City Council, last year Low Carbon Hub raised nearly £1.7m from the local community to invest in 21 solar PV installations on the roofs of local businesses and schools, totalling 1MWph capacity. The energy generated will help schools and businesses reduce their fuel bills and provide a financial return for investors. With Richard Branson among its high-profile backers, the Low Carbon Hub is also sharing its expertise with other community-based groups who want to develop their own solar and hydro power projects.

Businesses can also enter the competition - such as Max Fordham

Building services like ventilation, heating and lighting usually only get noticed when they go wrong. But if they’re not well-designed, or running when they don’t need to, they can guzzle energy, costing a fortune. Max Fordham has worked for nearly 50 years developing sustainable building services. It helps its clients cut their energy use by up to 30% through increasing natural light and ventilation and installing energy-efficient equipment. The company has also raised the profile of energy efficiency across its industry, and has pushed the concept of ‘soft landings’, where occupants are helped to make the most efficient use of their new building after moving in.

To read about the other shortlisted enterprises, visit http://www.ashden.org/awards/2015/uk