DEI Energy Day 2026 - Safe and Sound: Energy Security, Innovation and Communities

The event will feature a 45-minute panel discussion, Financing Climate Change Adaptation by Households and Communities: Unlocking Investment Through Co-Creation, with representatives from public authorities, investors, businesses and charities. Chaired by a senior academic, the session will be followed by audience discussion and networking, offering practical insights into climate adaptation finance and collaborative solutions.

The latest UK Climate Change Committee progress report highlights serious adaptation gaps and the urgency of scaling adaptation finance in the face of rising climate risk. Households and communities are increasingly expected to invest in flood protection, heat-resilient homes, water-saving technologies, nature-based solutions and climate-risk insurance, yet many face financial constraints, limited information and uncertainty about the benefits and costs of adaptation. Consequently, valuable adaptation measures remain underfunded. Innovative financing mechanisms, including grants, subsidies, tax incentives, low-interest loans and insurance-based approaches, can help unlock household and community investment in resilience. Effective adaptation finance also requires collaboration between households, public authorities and businesses. Public bodies can provide supportive policies and funding, businesses can develop innovative financial and insurance products, and households can contribute local knowledge and collective action. Co-created approaches are more likely to meet local needs, encourage participation and deliver equitable outcomes. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore practical financing solutions and successful partnerships and discuss how public and private finance can work together to strengthen climate resilience at the household and community level.

Professor Laura Marsiliani (Chair) is Professor of Environmental and Energy Economics and Associate Dean for Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability at Durham University Business School. Her research focuses on sustainable finance and the just transition to net zero. She will chair the discussion, connecting perspectives from academia, policy, industry and communities to explore how climate adaptation finance can become more accessible and equitable.

Claire Wildfire is Global Cities Lead at Mott MacDonald. She has extensive experience supporting cities and communities with decarbonisation and climate resilience, bringing an industry perspective on resilient infrastructure, adaptation and cross-sector collaboration.

Dr Daniel Atzori is an expert in energy markets, geopolitics and the global energy transition. His work examines the connections between energy systems, investment and public policy, providing an international perspective on financing climate adaptation.

Dr Stephen Hall is Senior Industry Research Fellow in Energy and Climate Futures at the University of York. His research covers energy transitions, domestic retrofit, place-based decarbonisation and low-carbon infrastructure finance, with particular expertise in how policy and investment can support community resilience.

Fraser Stewart is Head of Local Energy Strategy at GB Energy, where he works to expand local and community-owned energy fairly across the UK. His experience in community energy, fuel poverty and the just transition will provide valuable insight into locally led investment, community ownership and ensuring that vulnerable households benefit from the transition.

The panel brings together the sectors and expertise needed to unlock adaptation finance, including academia, publicly backed energy investment and industry. Collectively, the speakers offer expertise in sustainable finance, climate resilience, energy systems, community ownership and practical delivery, enabling a balanced discussion of how co-creation, policy and investment can produce resilient and equitable outcomes for households and communities.

All

Industry, HEI's, Charities