The answer
What can you use to show how busy your community building is?
Use a normal booking calendar, a seasonal view, opening hours and examples of the groups who use the space. Pair those records with energy bills and a note of when rooms, showers or kitchens are active. That shows both community benefit and the pattern a heating or solar design must serve.
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Who uses the building, not just how many?
A weekly headcount does not show who benefits or which spaces are accessible. List regular activities, approximate participant numbers, public bookings and any restrictions or fees. Include seasonal events and the quieter weeks so the picture is honest. If a school, youth group or local service uses the hall, say which rooms it uses and whether the general community can access other sessions. Local Energy Scotland assesses eligibility; the diary is supporting evidence, not a shortcut to approval.
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When does the building need energy?
A nursery morning, an evening fitness class and showers after a match create different heating, hot-water and electricity peaks. Mark those on a weekly timetable and put a year's bills alongside it. An installer can then ask whether the present problem is long warm-up time, rooms heated while empty, inadequate hot water or a roof producing power mainly while the site is shut. The timetable is useful for design even if no grant is awarded.
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How do you make the record credible?
Export bookings from a digital system or keep dated paper diary pages. If volunteers estimate attendance, explain the method instead of giving a precise-looking unsupported total. Note closures, cancellations, seasonal swings and planned changes separately from normal use. Give the committee a one-page summary that points to the underlying records; it can then answer questions without reconstructing the numbers later.
What would a useful week of evidence look like?
Take a typical week and make one row for each booking: room, start and finish, group, approximate attendance and whether hot water or catering is used. Add a second page for irregular events and seasonal closures. If a class happens only in winter, show that; it matters for both heating demand and the picture of regular community use.
Pair the booking rows with the heating timetable and bills. If volunteers turn the boiler on three hours early for a 90-minute class, the operating schedule may be as important as the equipment. A survey can test whether different controls or a fabric repair should come before a larger heat source.
Keep the underlying diary pages or booking export and label estimates honestly. The funder may want to know who can use the space and whether fees or membership rules narrow access, while the installer needs to know when energy is required. The same accurate record can answer both questions without claiming the grant rules have already been met.
What to check next
Your next steps
Where we checked the facts
Check the original information.
These official pages back up the rules and technical details above. They can change, so check them again before spending money or starting work.
Apply this to your own property
Could your community building be suitable?
Tell FLO about your building and the work your group is considering. A free survey checks what may fit; Local Energy Scotland decides CARES eligibility and funding.