Some of the best things we do at Insite Energy start as a slightly ambitious idea in a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee meeting.
I proudly sit on this committee, which mostly means making these ideas come to life and convincing my colleagues to give up a bit of their time for them.
So, when we held our first-ever Employee Awards this year, they named me Sustainability Champion. This felt like the right nudge to sit down and write up everything the team has pulled off together so far in 2026. Because an idea is only as good as the people who show up for it.
Our CSR activities so far in 2026
It’s been a hot summer, so naturally, we headed outdoors.
The Felix Project
I was one of three from our London team who spent a day volunteering with The Felix Project, a charity doing incredible work to fight food poverty across the city.
Before that day, I hadn’t really registered that over 100,000 London families are living on less than £3 a day for food. That stat stuck with me. It’s what pushed me to get stuck in, sort through 600kg of potatoes in the morning, and then helping Spike, one of their regular volunteers, deliver food to a few charities across Enfield in the afternoon.
I got to meet the local communities, but also came away inspired by the people who regularly show up and volunteer their time to this cause. Not only is it sustainable, helping to prevent food waste, but it was also rewarding to give back.
Treekly
In May, our friendly office rivalry came back in full force thanks to Treekly’s 30-day walking challenge. The idea was simple: every day someone hit 5,000 steps, a tree was planted. We added an extra layer by turning it into a London versus Peterborough office competition, with the office recording the most total steps taking the win.
London won, not to brag, but the real result was what both offices managed to achieve together.
By the end of the challenge, we had walked 8 million steps and funded the planting of 704 mangrove trees in Kenya. That works out at roughly 218 tonnes of CO2 captured, which is about the same as taking 51 cars off the road for a year, or 195 economy flights from London to New York.
Sophie, our Technical Solutions Manager, deserves the biggest shoutout. She was top of the leaderboard before most of us had even warmed up. Once she got there, there was no catching up.
It was a good reminder that sustainability wins don’t always need a grand gesture. Sometimes, it really is just choosing to take the stairs instead of the lift.
Sacrewell Farm
In July, you may all remember the heatwave that took over our country. It didn’t stop those in our Peterborough office from rolling up their sleeves.
Members of our Customer Service and Complaints teams swapped resident queries and case management for a day at Sacrewell Farm. They helped out with maintenance and conservation activities, and got some well-earned time outdoors together.
This gave the team a chance to give back to a local organisation doing important work for the community. A big thank you to the team at Sacrewell & the William Scott Abbott Trust for having us.
What’s next for Insite’s CSR initiatives
I wouldn’t have won the Sustainability Champion award if there wasn’t anything to champion.
Aside from lots of work being done across our teams to improve our internal processes, we’re continuing to collaborate with external partners too:
- London South Bank University Group: We’re currently in the process of organising a session to introduce plumbing and electrician apprentices to the wonderful world of heat networks and sustainable energy.
- National Energy Action: This national fuel poverty charity will help us learn a little more about how we can better support residents in vulnerable circumstances, while we’ll share best metering & billing practices in light of new heat network regulations.
- Sacrewell Farm: This name may sound familiar, as our Peterborough office went to volunteer there this summer, and they’ll be back for a winter edition.
There’s a lot still to come. If this year’s shown us anything, it’s that these initiatives only work because people choose to be a part of them.
Thank you to everyone at Insite who’s used their two volunteering days this year, who’s responded to our CSR ideas, and who’s turned up and got stuck in. This one’s for you!
If you enjoyed this read, check out our CSR report. It’s a great roundup of our activities in 2025, our 2026 plans, and our ongoing initiatives.
