From the Centre for
Sustainable Energy
Community
For further support
Energy
Update
Visit [Link]/communities
or email communities@[Link].
And for the best tools and guides, go to
TheSource: [Link]/thesource.
Sign up for this monthly newsletter at
[Link]/communities-update
January 2016
Over 1,870 people follow us on Twitter.
Were at [Link]/@cse_communities
section 1 The latest CSE news ...
Projec
ts
in a box
If you want to kick 2016 off with a new community
energy project in your local area then why not try out
one of CSEs new projects in a box? We can provide all
the tools, resources, and hand-outs that you might need
to deliver a successful energy project all packed neatly
inside a box!
Projects range from activities that can be delivered in a
day and dont require much experience, through to
longer-term projects that might be delivered over the
course of several months or a year.
We have taken the hard work out of the planning and
preparation, so its easy for you to get started. All the
projects are designed for community level delivery and
can be run by individuals who are not necessarily experts
in the field, to achieve effective local engagement and
low carbon impact.
You can chose from six box-projects:
1 Running a draught-proofing workshop in your
community: demonstrate and discuss draught
proofing measures (including materials to give
away to 40 participants)
2 Running a community lightbulb swap: encourage
people to replace their traditional bulbs with low
energy equivalents
3 Carrying out an energy audit for a community
building: assess current energy use and identify
energy saving improvements (including template
survey and report documents and training video)
4 Heritage home improvements: encourage and support
community members to make energy smart changes
that are sensitive to the style and fabric of the
building
5 Setting up a community advice centre: set up a dropin service that offers energy advice to the community
6 Running a Green Open Homes event: organise an
event for visitors to see and discuss low carbon home
improvements
Each box comes with guidance on how you might
successfully run the project and includes all the materials
you will need.
To find out more and apply for a box go to:
[Link]/project-in-a-box
run a
Want to oofing
t-pr
draugh hop?
works
section 1 The latest CSE news ...
Support for people in cold homes in
Wiltshire
Weve recently teamed up with Wiltshire Council and Fire
Service as part of their existing Warm and Safe
Wiltshire programme. This aims to offer a single point of
contact to people suffering from health issues related to
living in a cold home.
CSE are on hand to provide householders with energy
saving advice, support to manage their energy bills
better, and access to home improvement grants and
services. Well also be training Home from Hospital staff
in how to identify, and refer to the service, patients who
may need help when returning home after a stay in
hospital and whose cold home is delaying their recovery.
See [Link]/news/view/2078 for more.
Were also seeking enthusiastic and dedicated local
volunteers to help deliver the outreach work across
Wiltshire. This will involve working with vulnerable
people often elderly or disabled on home visits, at
advice stalls and local group events. If youre interested
email volunteers@[Link].
Neighbourhood Planning Survey
Weve just updated our popular low carbon
neighbourhood planning guidebook. The new edition
has even more guidance on writing low energy measures
into your neighbourhood plan including:
Encouraging retro-fitting of historic buildings
More tips on community engagement
Energy efficiency for new housing
Links to useful online tools and resources
Download the guidebook at [Link]/[Link]
Plus ... as were now half way through our neighbourhood
planning support programme, were keen to review how
effective our free support has been, and how it might be
improved. Whether youve flicked through our
guidebook, or had more detailed support from us over
the phone or in person, please take five minutes to share
your thoughts on this online survey: [Link]/1OKHx19.
If we can build evidence of the value of this work, we
may be able to secure external funding to continue
beyond 2016.
Community
section 2 The latest community news ...
New community solar installation in
Bristol
A community organisation in Southmead, Bristol has
become the first Urban Community Energy Fund (UCEF)
recipient to install their grant-funded renewable energy
project. The Greenway Centre has installed a solar PV array
of around 70kW following a grant of just over 10,000 to
cover some of the development costs. And they got there
just in time to receive the higher rate of Feed-in Tariff
before the tariff drop at the start of January 2016.
The grant was used to pay for an in depth feasibility study
and local consultation events. The centre, owned and
managed by the Southmead Development Trust, aims to
use the income from the Feed in Tariff to further fund the
work they do with the community in this deprived part of
Bristol. Congratulations to everybody involved!
Energy
Update
Some of the 260 PV panels that make up
the Greenway Centre solar array.
Photo from Your Power | [Link]
Community
section 2 The latest community news ...
Energy
Update
School roofs support community solar
PV in South East London
Another successful year for Green Open
Homes
Like the Greenway Centre (previous page), South East
London Community Energy (SELCE) is another UCEF
funded project, and is well on the way to completing the
installation of solar PV on three schools after raising
250,000 from 138 investors in a share issue.
I learned so much, saw some amazing properties and
met some lovely people. I found it totally inspirational.
This was the response of one visitor to East Yorkshire
Green Open Homes, one of 37 events in a packed
calendar of events in the Green Open Homes network.
SELCE are seeking other suitable sites for solar PV in the
area in order to continue funding their fuel poverty
alleviation projects. See [Link] for more
details.
2015 was another impressive year for the network with a
total of 37 events, showcasing 457 homes and drawing
in over 10,000 visitors.
UCEF can provide grants of up to
20,000 to help community groups to
develop large scale renewable energy
projects in urban parts of England. See
[Link]/ucef for more details.
97% of visitors found the experience useful, 65% said
theyd look to install low carbon products in their own
homes, and 72% said theyd try to save energy by
changing their habits. Over 22,000 visitors checked out
the website [Link] in 2015, so if
youre thinking of running an event then make sure
youre part of this growing network.
Hydro scheme up and running
In even more positive news for community energy,
Anafon Hydro has completed their ambitious
295kW hydro scheme in Snowdonia, North
Gwynydd, and on 1 December 2015, electricity
from the installation was exported to the grid.
In the first month alone, thanks to a very wet
December, 171 MWh of electricity was generated,
amounting to an impressive 17% of the plants
projected annual output.
In 2012-14, through the the Co-operative
Community Energy Challenge, CSE supported the
group in the early development stages of their
project when they were known as Abergwyngregyn
Regeneration Company. Following this, the group
raised 450,000 in shares from the local community
and secured a loan from Charity Bank.
Work on the installation inself began in March 2015
and saw around 3km of pipework buried into the
mountainside in this beautiful and protected part of
Wales.
You can read more about the project and see some
great photos of the installation work at
[Link]/latest-news. Read more
about the Co-operative Community Energy
Challenge at [Link]/projects/view/1178.
The installation of Anafon Hydro, which has a
great deal of local support
Community
section 3 And some useful links ...
Energy
Update
So you want to
develop a site for a
wind turbine or even
a wind farm?
CSEs project officer and planning
expert, Dan Stone, is working on a
resource to help communities tackle the
new changes to the planning system
around wind developments.
As has been widely reported, last year the
planning regime changed to give local people the
final say on planning applications for wind
turbines. From July 2014 onshore wind
developments would only be acceptable with
community backing and in areas specifically
identified as being suitable in Local or
Neighbourhood Plans.
For communities with unwelcome applications,
this change offers a far greater opportunity for
residents to have their say. Conversely, for
communities wanting to develop their own
projects, this requirement makes the process
much more difficult, particularly as government
guidance is unclear on the evidence needed to
back up such a policy.
Were in the process of developing a step-by-step
guide as to how you might identify areas as being
suitable in your neighbourhood plan, with
guidance on the evidence needed to back up such
an allocation and perhaps more importantly,
suggestions on how to involve your wider
community.
We hope to be able to agree this with the
Department for Communities and Local
Government, so that communities can rely on
this advice in taking their neighbourhood plans
through the examination process.
If youd be interested in the outcome of
this work, please get in touch with Dan by
email on [Link]@[Link] or by
phone on 0117 934 1400.
Interested in community
wind projects? See our
video of the month overleaf } } }
Community
section 3 And some useful links ...
Bristol Community Energy Fund
The Bristol Community Energy Fund has just announced
its small grant programme, offering up to 2,000 to fund
some of the costs of community energy projects in
Bristol. Any activities that involve supporting local people
with managing energy costs, becoming more energy
efficient, or moving towards cleaner sources of energy
can be funded.
The fund is being managed by the Quartet Community
Foundation and more information can be found at:
[Link]/1Qjajsp
If you need inspiration or project ideas then get in touch
with us our guidance, case studies, videos and more
could help to set you along the right route. Whats more,
why not use the funding available to pay for one of our
projects in a box (see above)!
Dataset of the month
The state of fuel poverty
Energy
Update
Energy in Neighbourhood Planning
event
Saturday 6 February 9:30 15:30, South Brent, Devon
As part of our Neighbourhood Planning project, well be
speaking at an event in Devon, looking at the
opportunities for energy generation and saving through
the neighbourhood planning process. Well be joined by
RegenSW, a neighbourhood planning group from Frome
and Totnes Community Development Society to explore
how different areas have integrated energy into their
neighbourhood plans and the lessons learned from this.
The afternoon session will be dedicated to neighbourhood
planning, local authority and community energy group
collaboration. The event is free to community energy
groups, neighbourhood planning groups, local
authorities and RegenSW members, 75+vat to anyone
else. Places are limited on a first come, first served basis.
Find out more and book your place at
[Link]/1SBpK2D
CSE recently teamed up with Boilerjuice, the heating oil
price comparison website, to produce an interactive
report showing the state of fuel poverty in the UK
currently, with the aim to raise awareness of the issues
many are facing.
[Link]
CSE also have a fuel poverty calculator, which you can
use to help to work out whether householders in your
area are suffering from fuel poverty. See
[Link]/news/view/2076 for more details.
Resource of the month
Zero and low cost improvements to
community buildings
[Link]/1K1aDN7
Video of the month:
Community-owned wind turbine
This short guide goes through some of the simple
improvements that can be made to reduce the energy
costs in a community building from changes to the
behaviour of building users to low cost DIY measures.
Weve raided the archives for this one, but we think its
worth a re-run. It features the pioneering Hockerton
community wind turbine, and was made in 2011 |
[Link]
3 St Peters Court
Bedminster Parade
Bristol
BS3 4AQ
0117 934 1400
[Link]
info@[Link]
Charity 298740
Founded 1979
The Centre for Sustainable
Energy (CSE) is a national
charity that helps people
change the way they think
and act on energy
@cse_communities
Sign up for this monthly newsletter at
[Link]/communities-update