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Scotland Tom Litster0789 429 [email protected]
Chair: Oliver MyersTel: 0207 [email protected] Chair: Gemma MooreTel: 020 8736 [email protected]: Helen AtkinsTel: 0116299 5133 [email protected]
North WestDave Ward0787 980 [email protected]
Yorkshire & North EastAlistair MacKenzie0775 389 [email protected]
Midlands & WalesAllan Clews0775 389 [email protected]
East Midlands & East AngliaLisa Sims0773 661 [email protected]
West & North London M4 CorridorShirley Goodey0779 364 [email protected]
South & East London South EastDavid Blowers0771 765 [email protected]
South West London South WestDiane Paris-Hunter0784 300 [email protected]
Northern Ireland HECA Advisory Panel Representative: Noel RiceTel: 02890 [email protected]
Scottish HECA Officers’ NetworkRepresentative: Stephen Cunningham
Tel: 01506 [email protected]
E.ON Key Account Managers
Chair: Revathi BTel: 0161 342 2557
[email protected] Chair / Secretariat: Alison Hartley
Tel: 0161 242 5810 [email protected]
Chair: Steve MartinTel: 01443 864645
[email protected] Chair: Leanna Jones
01352 [email protected]
Secretariat: Erica MasonTel: 01633 223111
Chair: Rachel JonesTel: 01789 [email protected] Chair: Tom WinckleyTel: 01902 [email protected] Secretariat: Deborah GabbayTel: 0121 543 [email protected]
Chair: Colin AndersonTel: 01752 307176 [email protected] Chair: Erica Pretty Tel: 01202 [email protected]: Emma.QuestTel: 0175 [email protected]
Chair: Gemma MooreTel: 020 8736 [email protected] Chair: Norma NyaulingoTel: 0208 921 6238 [email protected]: Sarah HitchcockTel: 0845 450 3375 [email protected]
Chair: Darren AdamsTel: 0113 395 [email protected] Chair: Richard Smith Tel: 01302 [email protected]
Chair: Kathy AlcockTel: 01892 554275 [email protected]: Clare Everett Tel: 0207 922 [email protected]
Chair: Denise MarsdonTel: 0116 9886293
[email protected] Chair / Representative: Dave Malone
Tel: 01327 [email protected]
Secretariat: Helen Atkins Tel: 0116 299 5133
Chair: Andy StephensonTel: 0191 [email protected]: Ian Bloomfield Tel: [email protected]: Wendi Wheeler Tel: 01642777970 [email protected]
Chair: Julia BlackwellTel: 01480 [email protected]: Steve Adelizzi Tel: 01279 [email protected]: Bruce PittingaleTel: 05602 391 [email protected]
1 2
From Wall to Wall
The UK's housing stock is esti-
mated at approximately 24.5
million dwellings. Within this
figure, approximately 36%
consist of non-cavity wall 1constructions . To date most
insulation activity has fo-
cused on cavity walls and
lofts. There are however, an
estimated 9 million hard to
treat homes in the UK, of
which 6.75 million have solid 2walls , most of which have
been bypassed.
Insulating a solid wall prop-
erty will return very high car-
bon savings as most solid or
non-traditional walled prop-
erties have very poor insulat-
ing values to begin with. Installing solid wall insulation 3could provide savings of between 2.4 and 2.5 tCO /yr . 2
Furthermore, approximately 45% of heat in a solid 4wall property is lost through the walls . Insulating these
properties can stop up to two thirds of this heat loss,
helping to combat fuel poverty. There are also non-
thermal benefits such as the improved appearance
of a building, reduced condensation and mould,
plus increased property value.
With the increasing focus on 'Hard to Treat' homes,
housing providers urgently need to invest in means of
making their properties more energy efficient. E.ON
offers a solid wall insulation funding package
whereby Local Authorities work with a designated
Key Account Manager in order to obtain subsidies
on solid wall insulation.
If you are interested in E.ON's funding offer, please
contact your local Key Account Manager (details
on the back cover).
1National Insulation Association weblink; www.nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk/housholder/householder-nia.html?nib insulation home body=solid-wall.html
2profile of the UK Solid Wall Insulation Sector (page 4) see attached
3Energy Saving Trust -www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements/Home-insulation-glazing/Solid-wall-insulation
4National Insulation Association weblink; www.nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk/housholder/householder-nia.html?nib insulation home body=solid-wall.html
Image courtesy of Alumasc Exterior Building Products Ltd
Image courtesy of Alumasc Exterior Building Products Ltd
Welcome to Carbon Action News
We are delighted to use this edition of the newly renamed Carbon Action News publication to announce the launch of the Carbon Action Net-work (CAN).
CAN has been in the pipelines since Defra proposed a repeal of the Home Energy Conser-vation Act.
The last year has been a pivotal time for local gov-ernment with the wide-spread take up of climate change and fuel poverty
indicators in Local Area Agreements
Additionally, with the Government recently introducing a department solely devoted to energy and climate change and announcing an additional £1 billion funding within its Home Energy Saving Programme fund, part of which will fund the proposed Community Energy Saving Programme, the potential for delivery at a local level is ever increasing.
This is why UK HECA decided to launch its new identity and widen its remit to include all aspects of the domestic-sector carbon footprint, and by doing so hope to encourage membership to officers from all local authority depart-ments with a climate change remit.
As well as continuing to showcase best practice stories and events, this special edition includes a launch publication that contains full details about the Carbon Action Network and the history of our organisation and how it has pro-gressed since the Home Energy Conservation Act was passed in 1995.
Don't forgot to look at the website, and visit the conference page to book a place at the 2009 Carbon Action Network Conference (formerly the Home Energy Conference) - see page 15. And see page 3 for more details of the launch of the Carbon Action Network at the LGA/EST Conference on 20 January.
- Oliver Myers, Chair of the Carbon Action Network
Carbon Action News is the quarterly news magazine of the Carbon Action Network
and was formerly knows as HECA Network News
Past issues of Carbon Action News and HECA Network News can
be downloaded from www.carbonactionnetwork.org.uk
Please send any news items, articles or pictures that you would like
to see in Carbon Action News to: Helen Atkins at the
Carbon Action Network Secretariat - [email protected]
Tel: 0116 299 51332-4 Market Place South,
Leicester, LE1 5HB
3
Carbon Action Network Launches at the LGA Conference
On Tuesday 20 January 2009, the National Car-
bon Action Network (CAN) was officially
launched at the LGA / EST Conference at the
Lowry Hotel in Manchester.
The Carbon Action Network is the new identity
of the UK Home Energy Conservation Associa-
tion (UK HECA). The decision to rebrand was
taken after the Government’s announcement
to repeal the Home Energy Conservation Act
1995 and a consultation to our members pro-
vided a mandate for expanding the Network to
cover the full domestic-sector carbon footprint.
The new Network will now focus on supporting
local authority officers working on the Govern-
ment’s climate change and fuel poverty
National Indicators NI 185, NI 186, NI 187 and NI
188, although membership is free to anyone
from the public or private sector with an interest
in energy efficiency or fuel poverty.
The new Network will retain the structure and
membership of the old organisation while grad-
ually expanding to cover the full domestic-
sector carbon footprint including support for
areas such as planning, transport and waste
management and eventually broadening its
remit to focus on the full climate change
agenda.
The ten English and Welsh regional HECA Fora
fully support the change and will also be
rebranding to become the regional Carbon
Action Network Fora. Each region has it’s own
logo based on individually coloured version of
the national CAN logo reflecting the shared
aims and practices of the Network as well as
the autonomy that each region enjoys. The
new Network will also maintain its strong part-
nership with the Scottish HECA Officers’ Net-
work (SHON) and the Northern Ireland HECA
Advisory Panel - regions where the Home
Energy Conservation Act is not expected to be
repealed.
The Network also enjoys partnership with the
Local Government Association (LGA) as well as
the support of the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and
The Warm and Well in Derby Project
Derby City Council and NHS Derby City are working with local organisations, groups and residents to make sure that vulnerable older people in Derby get home energy advice and information so that they can afford to heat their homes.
The Warm and Well in Derby Project is jointly funded by NHS Derby City and Derby City Council and run by the Council’s Derby Home Energy Advice Service, which is based at the Council House.
The project is running for six months during win-ter 2008-09 and provides:
! advice and information on home energy grants and discount schemes that are avail-able
! advice on how to find out the best tariffs for gas and electricity
! referrals to other agencies
! in certain circumstances, home visits to dis-cuss home energy efficiency
! advice on benefit entitlement
! presentations to local groups about home energy efficiency and grants
! training for employees of partner organisa-tions.
! The key outcomes from the project will be to:
! improve home energy efficiency for vulnera-ble older people
! improve warmth and comfort for vulnerable older people
! reduce gas and electricity costs for vulnera-ble older people
! increase incomes through identifying benefit entitlement for vulnerable older people
! reduce the likelihood of vulnerable older peo-ple suffering from excess winter deaths
! reduce the likelihood of vulnerable older peo-ple suffering from fuel poverty.
For further information, please contact Richard Murrell, Home Energy Advice Manager at Derby City Council on 01332 255317, email [email protected]
the Department of Energy and Climate Change
(DECC).
At the Conference, Oliver Myers, the Carbon
Action Network Chair gave a presentation to offi-
cially launch the organisation. Oliver started by
announcing the launch of the Network, explain-
ing its aims, structure and origin and finished with
a rallying cry to encourage local authority cli-
mate change officers and other interested par-
ties to join.
Helen Atkins and Rob Leeson of the Carbon
Action Network Secretariat took along the new
CAN exhibition stand to the event to sign up new
members, giving away free energy efficient
lightbulbs, pens and sweets, provided by our
sponsor organisation E.ON.
The Network's core activities offer members an
annual conference (see page 15), the Carbon
Action Network website, dissemination of infor-
mation a voice to Government through consulta-
tions and representation as well as publishing Car-
bon Action News, the free quarterly news maga-
zine you are now reading!
If you’ve received this magazine under your own
name, then are already a member of the organi-
sation. If not, and you, or any of your colleagues,
would like to join for free, please see the contact
details below.
The Network’s website was also simultaneously
rebranded to reflect the new identity. The website
will also be fully redeveloped later in the year pro-
viding many new feature and a clearer more user-
friendly structure. The new address is:www.carbonactionnetwork.org.uk
Local authority employees, workers in the private
sector and other interested individuals can join for
free by contacting Helen Atkins at the National
CAN Secretariat. Tel: 0116 299 [email protected]
Oliver Myers, Chair of the Carbon Action Network addresses the audience at the LGA/EST Conference.
Helen Atkins of the Carbon Action Network Secretariat signed up new members on the exhibition stand.
4
Crucial New Project is Launched in Tees Valley to Support Residents this Winter
An icy morning provided an appropriate back-
drop for the launch for the National Energy
Action's (NEA) Warm Homes Campaign and
the Tees Valley Hotspots project at Hartle-
pool’s Maritime Museum function rooms.
The Tees Valley Hotspots project will improve
the health and living conditions for local resi-
dents by linking them into existing available
services. It has evolved through a partnership
between the Energy Saving Trust advice cen-
tre; Jobcentre Plus; Cleveland Fire Brigade
and the NHS.
Utilising a simple referral card, the Hotspots pro-
ject allows partners such as fire safety officers
and health visitors to identify households that
may be living in cold, damp conditions or liv-
ing on a very low income and offer them assis-
tance to address these problems. By complet-
ing the Hotspots referral card, the householder
will be referred to an appropriate scheme or
partner that can provide them with the
required service.
The Energy Saving Trust advice centre will train
front-line staff within key partner agencies to
recognise vulnerable households as part of
their routine home visits.
The event, which was attended by approxi-
mately 50 representatives from local authori-
ties and the voluntary sector, was opened by
Claire Green of NEA. Presentations on how
the Hotspots project was developed were
given by Les Jones of Cleveland Fire Brigade
as well as Brendan Prior and Sue Vickers from
the Energy Saving Trust advice centre for the
North East.
Attendants included Ian Wright MP for
Hartlepool, who gave his endorsement to the
scheme before he and representatives from
the project partners signed the Hotspots dec-
laration.
For more information on the Tees Valley
Hotspots project, contact the
Energy Saving Trust advice centre
on freephone 0800 512 012.
Community Groups Receive Reward for Helping Vulnerable Groups
A grant from the Government's Community Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) permitted the Groundwork Trust to work in partnership with Salford City Council to deliver fuel poverty training to over 20 organisations & community groups. Organisations taking advantage of this programme included Age Concern, Salford's Home Improvement Agency and the city's handypersons scheme Helping Hands. Smaller Community groups included residents groups and over 60s clubs.
Organisations and Community groups through the training are encouraged to refer vulnerable private sector households via Salford's City Council's Affordable Warmth Referral Network for Warm Front and utility company grants and also for help from Helping Hands for draught-proofing, the Home Improvement Agency and also to the Department of Works & Pensions and Welfare Rights Service for income maximisation.
This scheme was launched in winter 2007 and to date has received over 500 referrals. To encourage referrals for CERT funded home insulation E.ON has made available a Community Reward for successful referrals. In August, organisations and community groups that had made successful referrals received notification of the reward their activity had generated.
Councillor Maureen Lea, Salford City Council's Lead Member for Community Health and Social Care said: "Those who have poorly heated and insulated homes are often the most remote members of the commu-nity who are unaware of the problem. This funding will give community groups, who have access to these people, the power to make their homes warmer and more energy efficient”.
Further information is available from Les Laws (0161) 922 8798 or email [email protected]
(left to right) Helen Taylor (Groundwork Trust), Clive Fowler (E.ON's HeatStreets Products Manager), Councillor Peter Connor (Lead Member for Housing) and Emma Lowe (Salford's Welfare Rights Service)
Health Through Warmth in Wallsall Council
Walsall Council introduced the npower Health Through Warmth scheme in the borough in October 2006. The scheme was funded for the first two years through the Walsall Strategic Partnership utilising Neighbourhood Renewal Funding. From December 2006 through to March 2008, £1.2 million was invested in energy efficiency and heating measures for clients referred to the Health Through Warmth scheme.
For the year 2008/09 Walsall has committed a further £1,000,000 from its capital programme which reflects the Council’s support for the scheme which was highly commended at the Council’s Civic Awards earlier this year. Up to the end of October 2008, the scheme had received a total of 770 referrals and installed energy effi-ciency measures in over 600 properties.
A recent example of where Walsall Council's npower Health Through Warmth scheme is helping a local resident in the New Deal Area is for a client that suffers from cerebral palsy and other condi-tions and because the home had insufficient central heating and inadequate insulation the clients’ health was adversely affected by living in cold housing conditions. The Council and Health Through Warmth have helped by having addi-tional radiators fitted in the clients' home along with having the cavity walls insulated. This provides a warm environment for the client and also helps to reduce heat loss from the property by over 30%.
This client’s case illustrates how the Health Though Warmth scheme can help provide a warmer and healthier home environment. The client’s mother says “the addition of radiators in our living areas in the house has really helped with my daughter's circulation problems along with her other condi-tions. The insulation to the cavity walls has really helped too in keeping the home warmer and is saving on our gas bills too!”
There are 14 active npower Health Through Warmth partnerships embracing 21 Primary Care Trusts and 24 Local Authorities across England and Wales. Up until the end of September 2008, the scheme has received 41,581 referrals, trained 15,631 key workers, levered £32.9 million of funds, accessed £423,000 of Charitable funds and spent £3.3 million of npower Health Through Warmth's Crisis Fund.
For further information about the other areas the scheme is active in visit www.healththroughwarmth.com
5 6
Leeds Sees its First Hydrogen Car…in Miniature
The first hydrogen-fuelled car in Leeds has hit the
streets - but it's not about to start ferrying people
around the city's streets.
The model car, powered by water and sunlight,
was the first prize in a competition run as part of
efforts by Leeds City Council's Fuelsavers team to
boost Leeds' energy efficiency.
Andy Million picked up his new hydrogen car at a
ceremony hosted by Councillor Barry Anderson,
Leeds City Council's lead member for energy effi-
ciency. Other prizes included a lightweight fast-
charge, fast-action lithium ion-powered battery
lawn mower, one of the first in the UK, won by
Geoff Carter of Bramley and a wind-up 2 GB Eco
Media Player designed and produced by Trevor
Bayliss, who invented the first wind up radio.
The futuristic toy runs on 100% 'clean' fuel pro-
duced by a miniature solar-powered hydrogen
refuelling station that uses the sun's energy to con-
vert water to hydrogen, which is based on technol-
ogy being prototyped in full-sized cars by leading
motor manufacturers including Toyota, GM, Ford,
Honda, and Daimler-Chrysler.
The lucky prize winners responded to a mailing to
81,000 households in Leeds, aiming to find how the
city's housing stock is improving its energy effi-
ciency - with more than 12,500 households
responding.
The results will be fed back to central government
to show how well Leeds are doing in reducing
one of the main climate change gases, carbon
dioxide. The prize draw was included in the mail-
ing to thank Leeds residents for their continued
support in providing such valuable information to
the Council. In 2006, households in Leeds saved
more than 88,000 tonnes of CO with over 25,000 2
households seeking help and advice about insu-
lation.
Councillor Barry Anderson, Leeds City Council's
lead member for energy said:
"Given this survey is designed to find out how well
Leeds are doing on reducing carbon dioxide and
fuel use, it only seemed fit that we should offer
prizes that reflect energy and carbon saving in it's
own right.
“I can tell you the toy hydrogen car was much
converted and we all want one.
“In future I'm sure many people would like a real
one, but we might have to wait a few years to see
one in and around Leeds, though we live in
hope."
For more information, please visit Leeds City Coun-
cil's web site at www.leeds.gov.uk/fuelsaversor telephone Leeds City Council's Fuelsavers
Team on Leeds (0113) 3957159 for the latest on
energy grants in the city and beyond.
Mr & Mrs Geoff Carter (Front left and front right),Cllr Barry Anderson (rear left), Andy Million (Rear Right)
Kirklees Warm Zone
Kirklees Council is in the heart of Yorkshire and
includes a unique mixture of urban areas such as
Huddersfield and Dewsbury and vast areas of
countryside. The Kirklees District has almost
400,000 residents and the Council employs over
18,000 staff, with an annual budget of £500 mil-
lion.
Kirklees Council has a track record of climate
change innovation dating back to 1989 when it
was the first council to commission a State of the
Environment Report. Kirklees Council launched
its Green ambition in 2007, which is:
“To be a beacon of green living in the UK and at
a European level and to mainstream sustain-
ability into decision-making”
As part of this Green Ambition, the Council has
developed and funded a number of initiatives
on climate change mitigation and adaptation,
including the Kirklees Warm Zone programme.
Kirklees Warm Zone is an energy efficiency
scheme developed to address the continued
challenges of climate change by making the
local housing stock more energy efficient and
reducing carbon emissions. The scheme also
helps to reduce fuel poverty and offers a num-
ber of services to improve the health and
wellbeing of Kirklees residents.
The scheme is unique as it offers free insulation to
all suitable homes across Kirklees regardless of
household income. It also offers a range of
other services, such as benefits and debt
advice, a free carbon monoxide detector, free
energy saving lightbulbs, fire safety checks and
energy efficiency advice, through its network of
partner organisations.
Kirklees Warm Zone was launched in February
2007 and aims to visit 170,000 homes and insu-
late 53,000 lofts and 35,000 cavity walls by mid
2010. As of 10 October 2008, 88,704 households
have been visited. Loft insulation has been
installed into 13,066 homes and cavity wall insu-
lation into 6,989 homes - saving an estimated
13,289 tonnes of CO .2
The insulation work carried out under Warm Zone
has a direct impact on the spending power of
householders by helping residents to save an
average of £140 on their winter fuel bills.
So far 7,970 households have been referred for
benefits or debt advice. The expected increase
in benefit take-up as a result of these referrals is,
on average, £1537 per claimant.
Kirklees Warm Zone has generated around 65
jobs for Kirklees Energy Services (KES), a social
enterprise which delivers the scheme, and the
insulation contractor Miller Pattison has created
a new depot in Cleckheaton with 70 employees.
- Kirklees Council Environment Unit
7 8
10
The Carbon Action Network Conference 2009
Conference Programme
Pre-conference evening - 13 May 2009
Conference Day 1 - 14 May 2009 Plenary Session Programme
Evening Programme
Conference Day 2 - 15 May 2009 Plenary Session Programme
Previously known as the National Home Energy Conference, this will be the first Conference under UK HECA’s new identity, the Carbon Action Network. For delegate and exhibition prices and to book your place visit: www.carbonactionnetwork.org.uk/conference.
(The following is a draft programme. The organisers reserve the right to changespeakers, timings and any other aspect of the programme at any time.)
21:00 Pre-conference networking event with drinks reception
Time Programme Item Speaker09:30 Coffee, registration & exhibition viewing10:00 Conference Opening Oliver Myers - Carbon Action Network Chair10:10 E.ON Sponsor’s Welcome Address John Fawcitt - Energy Efficiency Operations Manager10:20 Ministerial Address TBC10:40 Developing Low Carbon Economies Philip Mind, LGA11:00 Energy & Environmental Technologies Prof Mohamed Pourkashanian, Engineering Faculty, Leeds University11:20 Q & A11:30 Break & exhibition viewing12:00 Adaption of Transport TBC12:20 Planning, Planning, Planning Nia Prys-Williams, PRP Architects12:40 A Local Approach to Climate Change Alan Jones & George Munson, Leeds City Council13:00 Lunch & exhibition viewing14:00 Site Visits: (delegates can attend one only)
1. TBC 2 .Tour of Drax Power Station 3 .National Coal Mining Museum (with optional decent to coal pit)
16:30 Close
Time Programme Item18:45 Drink reception in Exhibition Area19:25 Seating call for Gala Diner19:30 Mayor’s welcome address20:30 After dinner speaker (TBC)21:00 Disco
Time Programme Item Speaker09:00 Coffee & exhibition viewing09:30 World Wide Weather Paul Hudson, Climate Correspondent & Meteorologist, BBC Look North09:50 Wood Fuel Cluster Robin Riddley, South Yorkshire Forest10:10 Energy Saving Trust (EST) Andy Deacon and Andrew Benfield, EST10:30 Q & A10:40 Break11:00 Why Waste Waste? Nick Dawber, ENERGOS11:20 Growing old in a changing climate Dr Gary Haq, Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York 11:40 Reducing Carbon Emissions Zoe Leader, WWF12:00 Q & A12:20 Lunch13:00 Seminars: (delegates can attend two, One hour each)
1. The clean coal debate (E.ON Clean Coal and Climate and Renewables depts.)2 .Best Practice Case Study – ‘Project Counter Attack’, Blackpool Council 3 .TBC 4. TBC
15:30 Close
New Partnership Saves Lives and Saves Energy this Winter as Older People Warm to New Technology
The lives of many older people in Newcastle
could be saved this winter thanks to a new part-
nership between the npower Health Through
Warmth project and the Community Care
Alarm Service at Your Homes Newcastle.
Using the latest ‘telecare’ technology to auto-
matically detect dangerously low tempera-
tures in people's homes, the Community Care
Alarm Service (CCAS) can respond by sending
Mobile Wardens to offer help and take tempo-
rary heaters in emergency situations.
The equipment has been funded by Health
Through Warmth and will be installed in the
homes of some of CCAS' customers who are
most vulnerable to the cold. This will include
people aged over 80, who have suffered from
a stroke, heart condition or mobility problems.
Allyson McLeod-Hardy from CCAS says “Even
though our telecare devices are helping peo-
ple to live safely and independently in other
ways, many people just aren’t aware of the sup-
port available for protecting themselves
against the cold. In addition to keeping them
safe with telecare, we can now refer them to
Health Through Warmth for advice on reducing
their energy bills, keeping their homes warmer
and accessing funding to help meet rising
costs.”
Health Through Warmth was set up in 2000 to
tackle fuel poverty and reduce cold-related
illness and winter deaths. It was set up by
npower in partnership with the NHS and
National Energy Action, and has been working
with Newcastle City Council and Newcastle Pri-
mary Care Trust since 2003. Looking after New-
castle residents is the partners' top priority but
the project will have an environmental benefit
too - enabling many people to insulate their
homes properly and reduce energy consump-
tion whilst staying safe.
For more information on the project,
email [email protected]
Community Carbon Champions
With the cost of fuels
expected to rise by
40% over the next 12
months, the Borough of Poole and Poole Housing
Partnership have been working in partnership to
make households aware of their energy usage
and how they can save money.
The aim of the campaign is to help reduce house-
hold energy consumption by allowing people to
see how much energy they use. The households
will also be offered advice on how they can
reduce the amount of energy they use and with it
their bills.
Erica Pretty, the Borough of Poole's Principal Pri-
vate Sector Housing Officer, explains how it works:
“We fit a Smart Meter into your home, which mea-
sures the energy used. It doesn't cost you any-
thing.
“The meter is with you for 8 weeks and during this
time, energy saving advice will be offered and
your energy usage can be monitored accord-
ingly.
“At the end of the trial, the meter is removed but
hopefully the energy saving advice stays!
“We hope to return to households after several
months, to see if the tips learned in the project are
still saving energy and money.”
Local Community Representatives of Poole Hous-
ing Partnership trialled the campaign. Upon
removal of the smart meters the feedback col-
lected was very positive. The Representatives told
Poole Housing Partnership's Financial Inclusion
Officer how they found the project: “Found it Edu-
cational”, “A good teaching tool”, “Good idea,
makes people aware of what you are wasting
and what you are saving”, “Easy to use, and
recording information becomes habit”, “'Makes
you think” were some of the responses.
The project is an on-going campaign and we look
forward to working with more households to help
them understand their energy usage.
If you would like to know more about the pro-
ject, please email [email protected] or
FinSH
Financial and Support Instruments for Fuel
Poverty in Social Housing (FinSH) is a 30-
month project, supported by Intelligent
Energy Europe and managed by Severn
Wye Energy Agency in the UK. The project
seeks to provide information to social
housing providers to support improve-
ments in sustainable energy use and
reduce the risk of energy poverty in exist-
ing housing.
Against a background of rising fuel prices
and the increase in the number of house-
holds which are struggling to pay for their
energy bills, FinSH will review existing
financial products that could be used to
fund retro-fit sustainable energy mea-
sures for social housing, and produce
guidance on financial and other relevant support
mechanisms.
The project aims to develop at least six packages of
financial and strategic support measures for social
housing providers, and these are to be disseminated
to more than 1,500 stakeholders. It is also intended to
raise awareness and provide information to over a
million people across 12 different countries.
FinSH aims to achieve increased knowledge of:
! existing financial products for the fuel poor and
social housing providers
! energy behaviour of tenants
! support and strategy guidelines for tenants relat-
ing to their active participation in the develop-
ment of retrofit programmes
FinSH will review and collate financial and strategic
support mechanisms for sustainable energy
improvements in existing social housing in the five
partner countries.
The project will also carry out a review of energy use
behaviour and guidance needs of residents and
other stakeholders, in order to identify some of the
common barriers to retro-fit measures in the respec-
tive countries.
Severn Wye Energy Agency will use the evidence
provided by the partners during the early months of
the project to develop a guide for institutional part-
ners and social housing providers which will detail
the kind of on-going support that is needed by fuel
poor households.
The completed guide will cover aspects such as:
! briefing documents on fuel poverty and social hous-
ing
! developing an affordable warmth action plan
! engaging social housing staff and tenants
! skills and resources needed to develop retro-fit
programmes
! integrating energy efficiency programmes with main-
tenance and repair
! training programmes for staff
! developing advice materials for tenants
! integrating renewable energy technologies
! developing financial packages for retro-fit
Other published materials will include a number of
case studies that will be compiled at different stages of
the project.
All dissemination materials will be translated into the
five languages of the project: English, French, Italian,
German and Polish. The project outputs will be dissemi-
nated through the website, information events, semi-
nars and media articles.
For more information visit the UK project webpage:
www.swea.co.uk/proj_FinSH
To down load Financial Products and Case Study
reports visit www.swea.co.uk/finsh_downloads.shtml
Should any Local Authority with housing stock be
interested in featuring as a case study, then get in
touch with Stuart Davies at Severn Wye Energy
Agency. Email: [email protected], Tel: 01982 551006
1211
Stockport Council Joins Forces to “Kill The Chill” this Winter
England and Manchester City football star Shaun
Wright-Phillips was in Stockport on 13 November to
give his backing to the Winter Warmth event and
encourage older people to find out more about
the many services available to help them.
Organised by Stockport Council and Age Con-
cern Stockport as part of the ‘Kill the Chill’ cam-
paign, the event, which was held at the Plaza
Theatre, proved a huge success and attracted
hundreds of visitors from across the borough.
Stalls from a variety of local organisations offered
useful information about topics ranging from
energy efficiency and eating well to combating
the cold, caring for carers, debt advice and
managing money. Goody bags containing items
such as light bulbs and energy saving products
were handed out, whilst 150 lucky winners took
home a winter warmth pack complete with
thermal socks, gloves and fleece blankets.
The event received its formal opening by the
Leader of Stockport Council, Councillor Dave
Goddard, whilst The Mayor of Stockport, Council-
lor Pam King, also attended and offered her
support.
(from left to right)
Councillor Dave Goddard - Leader of Stockport Council
Margaret Brade -Chief Executive of Age Concern
Manchester City's Shaun Wright Phillips
Clare Redfern -SMBC HECA Officer
The Mayor of Stockport - Councillor Pam King
(from left to right):
Simon Tao (Energy Help),
Pete Betts (Bradford Council),
Sam Smith (npower)
and Danny Beasley (eaga surveyor)
Community Warmth Scheme in Bradford
The new Community Warmth Scheme has been launched in the Bradford district, aiming to improve the energy efficiency of the private sec-tor dwelling stock and reduce fuel poverty in the area.
Community Warmth will be visiting 170,000 owner occupiers and private rented households over the next two and half years across the whole Brad-ford district offering free or subsidised domestic energy efficiency measures to every private sec-tor resident. The programme is valued at approxi-mately £27 million over its lifetime. Bradford Coun-cil has identified extra funding to ensure that free insulation measures will be offered to households with residents aged 60 or over. People living in Council Tax band 'A' or 'B' private sector proper-ties will also be entitled to free cavity wall insula-tion where technically possible (this may be extended to other bands in the future). A unique feature of the scheme is that it offers a free home energy survey by a qualified surveyor as part of the initial 'one stop' contact on the doorstep, thus keeping the 'drop out' rate to a minimum. This means that a resident can be put on to the Warm Front scheme where appropriate as part of this first visit.
The scheme originated from the consultation pro-
cess when the district's Affordable Warmth Strat-egy was developed in conjunction with National Energy Action (NEA). This identified a need for a district wide initiative to improve the energy effi-ciency of the private sector housing stock and to alleviate fuel poverty in the area. The Council then successfully bid for money from the Neighbour-hood Renewal Fund to help explore the various options for a scheme that would best suit the Brad-ford district.
npower were identified as the preferred CERT part-ner following a tendering process by the Council. npower then worked with the Council to adapt its Community Warmth model to best meet the needs of Bradford. eaga plc was appointed as the delivery partner, enabling the scheme to take advantage of their qualified Warm Front surveyors.
Community Warmth will help Bradford Council to meet its targets to reduce carbon emissions (NI186) and to fight fuel poverty (NI187) and ensure that the district's residents will be given the oppor-tunity to benefit from free or subsidised insulation measures and the associated savings on fuel bills and advantages of increased thermal comfort. Early indications are encouraging, with the scheme yielding 638 insulation measures and 220 Warm Front jobs in the first few weeks.
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Stockport Council and Age Concern Stockport
are working together to help ensure that older
people have access to the information and
advice needed to help them keep warm over
the cold winter months.
Councillor Maggie Clay, Executive Member for
Adults & Health, said: “I was delighted to see so
many people turn up and take advantage of the
specialist advice available to them at the Winter
Warmth event. The whole day was an enormous
success and we hope that as many people as
possible have become more aware of the
heating and energy saving help on offer. Having
Shaun Wright-Phillips on hand to lend his support
was fantastic and only serves to underline the
importance of making sure that people stay
warm and well this winter.”
Stockport Council's "Kill The Chill" campaign is
incorporating a range of activities with its part-
ners, the Stockport Express, PCT, Energy Saving
Trust Advice Centre, Age Concern to name a
few. Activities will include: events, a sponsored
abseil, a talking leaflet, British Sign Language
leaflet, press releases, web updates and much
more.
For more information on how to Kill The Chill, log
on to www.stockport.gov.uk/killthechill
1413
Advice Insulates Fuel Poor from Rising Energy Prices
Scores of residents have found out ways to beat rising energy prices and keep their homes affordably warm at the launch of a three-year campaign to help stamp out fuel poverty.
More than 50 householders attended Stoke-on-Trent City Council-backed drop-in sessions to gain expert advice on areas including insulating their lofts and walls, and using more efficient and inexpensive appliances.
The sessions were part of a full-day event on 5 November to announce a city-wide Affordable Warmth Strategy. The strategy commits the coun-cil and its partners to spend around £18 million over the next three years on improving insulation on 20,000 homes, referring 3,000 households for benefits health checks and delivering energy effi-ciency training to health, housing, social care and voluntary agency staff.
Ronald Totton, 65, is retired and lives in a one-bedroom bungalow in Longton. He said: “My house has electric radiators, but I would like it upgraded to have gas central heating. I spend £40 a month on electricity but was told in Octo-ber my bill would rise to £58 a month. This is a lot of money for me.
“I have spoken to people from Beat the Cold and npower who are now looking at ways I can be put on a cheaper tariff and get my metres read more regularly.”
Youngsters from Alexandra Junior School, Normacot also attended the event to explain how the school is only one of five in the city to have green flag eco status. Pupil Esobel Christian, 11, said: “We have an eco committee at school and have a tick-list every day for things like turn-ing off lights, and computers. We have posters up around the school too and we are monitoring gas and electricity use - we have used more in Octo-ber and November than we did in September because it is getting colder. It is very important to save energy and we tell our mums and dads how
to use less energy at home too.”
The launch event also saw around 80 delegates from voluntary and community groups, energy suppliers, health practitioners and registered social and private landlords attend a morning conference.
They heard from Bob Carter, Regional Director of Warm Zones, who explained that an esti-mated five million people are living in fuel pov-erty in the UK and that energy prices have risen 29.7 per cent in one year. He also explained that the average household gas and electricity bill has risen from £715 per year, to £1,287.
Peter Sumby, Director of Operations at National Energy Action, told delegates households living in fuel poverty are those which spend 10 per cent of their income on fuel in order to keep warm. He said that people with asthma are twice as likely to live in damp homes and that for every temperature fall of one degree below the winter average, there are 8,000 additional deaths each winter. He said trends show for every two days after such a temperature fall, there are more heart attacks in Britain; for every five days after, there are more strokes; and for every 12 days after, there are more respiratory illnesses.
Councillor Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder for commu-nity Safety and Neighbourhood Management, said:
“The strategy commits the council and its part-ners to improving housing conditions and reduc-
ing energy usage in the city's housing stock.
“We have already made some good progress in re-housing between 700 and 1,000 people from clearance areas. In the last two years, North Staffordshire Warm Zone has assessed 40,500 properties, installed 2,460 loft installations and 1,940 cavity wall insulations and helped people access around £1m as a result of benefits advice.
“These are tremendous achievements, and other partners have carried out equally excellent work. But we know that there is a lot more to do too. For example, the city also has around 87,000 private sector houses and the latest figures tell us 31 per cent of households were living in fuel pov-erty. However this figure is likely to have increased due to rising energy prices. This three-year strategy will commit the Council and its part-ners to spending around £18m in helping city households keep affordably warm.”
A video giving advice about keeping affordably warm is available on You Tube at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHYtP2ZU3g. Residents can also call the energy efficiency advice line, managed by Beat the Cold, for free, local advice on 0800 389 2258.
The Affordable Warmth Strategy has been devel-oped with a range of local public, private and voluntary organisations - Age Concern North Staffordshire, Beat the Cold, Catch-22 Solutions, the Local Pension Service, NHS Stoke on Trent, Saltbox, Staffordshire Housing Association, Warm Front and Warm Zone.
15 16
David Bellamy Opens Ground-breaking Eco Estate
The West Midlands’ first Eco Estate – with homes that use 50 per cent less energy – was officially opened by television favourite and environmentalist David Bellamy.
The design ethos underpinning this £4 million development at Cross Street South in Blakenhall is one of energy efficiency. The properties are eco-friendly builds that use 50 per cent less energy than standard homes and only need two kilowatts of heat as opposed to the usual eight to ten. It also uses a range of low maintenance materials such as cedar cladding, an alpine sedum roof and recycled wood in its kitchen units.
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Council-lor Paddy Bradley says: “We are proud to have this exemplar project here in Wolverhampton. All the partners involved have worked hard to deliver a development which addresses the needs of the local com-munity as well as the causes and impacts of our changing climate.”
The opening was packed with events includ-ing a Blue Peter time capsule buried by David Bellamy and children from Graiseley School. He showed residents how to grow vegetables on the estate’s allotment and plant a tree with one of the children.
All Saints and Blakenhall Community Devel-opment project (ABCD) funded the pavilion feature, built within the grounds of the devel-opment to form part of the communal gar-den. The pavilion and the eco-garden are used for educational purposes, offering study opportunities for local school children. Groups of local residents are also encour-aged to visit the site to see how the estate works.
David Bellamy told the Council: “It was a day of fun for the lucky people who are fortunate enough to live at Cross Street. I want to thank all those involved in this development for car-ing so much about the environment.”
www.healththroughwarmth.com
Energy Efficient Shopping
As we advance into the millennium, it is
impossible to overlook what a great resource
the internet has become in order to find out
ways to understand energy use across the
home. Not only is a wide range of information
available, it is also easy to identify ways to use
energy more efficiently and the behaviours
which make this possible.
E.ON's Energy Shop provides tenants or
homeowners with the opportunity to buy high
quality, energy efficient products on line. It is
available to everyone - whether an E.ON
customer or not - and is an excellent resource
to promote to any individual interested in
saving energy or reducing their bills.
To access the shop, users can go to
eonshop.com. From here, a wide-range of
energy saving products can be viewed and
purchased from real-time electricity monitors to
solar security lights. For each product, there is
technical information and details on how it
operates. A list of alternative products the
consumer may be interested in is also specified.
Furthermore, if a homeowner or tenant is on
specific benefits, they are also eligible for free,
mixed low energy light bulbs.
One of the most handy yet simplest products on
the web shop is the wind-up LED torch. This
device has proved especially popular with the
over-70s and is perfect for use in the car or an
emergency since no batteries are required.
Winding the handle for just one minute gives
over 30 minutes of light from the rechargeable
battery with over 5 hours lighting time when fully
charged. Another product in demand is the
tear-drop night light which is popular amongst
both children and the elderly as a means of
providing a sense of security and light.
Tenants can also be directed to the Going
Green section of eonenergy.com to a fact-
filled Interactive House which provides detailed
information on an individual's energy use in the
home plus advice on how to reduce their CO 2
emissions. Following a link on the Energy
Efficiency section of E.ON UK's homepage,
tenants can calculate the total CO savings to 2
be made in their homes as well as receive
advice on products and behaviours which will
enable them to save energy. By clicking on a
room of the house and selecting an area,
information on specific energy and financial
savings can be accessed. For example,
switching off electrical items like TVs rather
than leaving them on standby can provide 1savings of £11.45 or 51.3 kg of CO .2
For more information on energy saving
appl iances and advice, tenants or
homeowners can be directed to the Energy
Efficiency area of the E.ON UK's website
(www.eon-uk.com). Alternatively E.ON's Key
Account Managers can advise on details of
funding for specific energy saving products
Please see the back cover for details on how
to contact them.
1This assumes the television is used 5.92 hours per day at an elec-
tricity unit rate of 9.59p/kWh. The electric CO amount is on Car-2
bon Trust figures as at 03/09/07.
17
energy and money
How to save
Visit: eonchallenge.com/interactive-house
With the onset of the credit crunch it’s becoming increasingly important to provide your tenants with advice on reducing their energy usage and therefore save money on electricity and gas bills.
E.ON’s forward thinking approach to energy conservation and bill reduction means their energy effi ciency experts
have developed some ingenious interactive tools to help calculate where energy could be saved. An online
house enables your tenants to select specifi c rooms in the home and discover smart ways to save money. With
each cost cutting choice, the house will work out how much energy, money and CO2 can be saved per room.
To fi nd out more visit: eonchallenge.com/interactive-house
Energy saving products help show how making small changes could result in big savings. Go online to E.ON’s
energy shop to explore a range of great energy saving products including energy saving light bulbs, lamps and
new product innovations such as a wind up LED torch, visit eonshop.com
EON’s Top Energy Saving Tips
• Keep out the chill. Closing curtains at dusk helps
stop heat escaping and draughts coming in.
• Cover up. Lids on saucepans reduces the heat
setting needed.
• As tempting as it is, clothes should not be dried on
the radiator. It makes boilers work harder than they
need to and costs more.
• Try to keep freezers at least three quarters full, but
don’t overfi ll fridges.
• Programming heating for the week ahead means
houses are cooler when tenants are out but warm up
in time for them to return home.
• Let the sunshine in. Opening internal doors of the
rooms which get the most sun lets the warm air
travel through a home.
• Replace normal bulbs with energy effi ciency bulbs.
• Seal draughty gaps between fl oorboards,
skirting boards.
HECA_ES_Tips.indd 1HECA_ES_Tips.indd 1 8/12/08 11:16:118/12/08 11:16:11
Scotland Tom Litster0789 429 [email protected]
Chair: Oliver MyersTel: 0207 [email protected] Chair: Gemma MooreTel: 020 8736 [email protected]: Helen AtkinsTel: 0116299 5133 [email protected]
North WestDave Ward0787 980 [email protected]
Yorkshire & North EastAlistair MacKenzie0775 389 [email protected]
Midlands & WalesAllan Clews0775 389 [email protected]
East Midlands & East AngliaLisa Sims0773 661 [email protected]
West & North London M4 CorridorShirley Goodey0779 364 [email protected]
South & East London South EastDavid Blowers0771 765 [email protected]
South West London South WestDiane Paris-Hunter0784 300 [email protected]
Northern Ireland HECA Advisory Panel Representative: Noel RiceTel: 02890 [email protected]
Scottish HECA Officers’ NetworkRepresentative: Stephen Cunningham
Tel: 01506 [email protected]
E.ON Key Account Managers
Chair: Revathi BTel: 0161 342 2557
[email protected] Chair / Secretariat: Alison Hartley
Tel: 0161 242 5810 [email protected]
Chair: Steve MartinTel: 01443 864645
[email protected] Chair: Leanna Jones
01352 [email protected]
Secretariat: Erica MasonTel: 01633 223111
Chair: Rachel JonesTel: 01789 [email protected] Chair: Tom WinckleyTel: 01902 [email protected] Secretariat: Deborah GabbayTel: 0121 543 [email protected]
Chair: Colin AndersonTel: 01752 307176 [email protected] Chair: Erica Pretty Tel: 01202 [email protected]: Emma.QuestTel: 0175 [email protected]
Chair: Gemma MooreTel: 020 8736 [email protected] Chair: Norma NyaulingoTel: 0208 921 6238 [email protected]: Sarah HitchcockTel: 0845 450 3375 [email protected]
Chair: Darren AdamsTel: 0113 395 [email protected] Chair: Richard Smith Tel: 01302 [email protected]
Chair: Kathy AlcockTel: 01892 554275 [email protected]: Clare Everett Tel: 0207 922 [email protected]
Chair: Denise MarsdonTel: 0116 9886293
[email protected] Chair / Representative: Dave Malone
Tel: 01327 [email protected]
Secretariat: Helen Atkins Tel: 0116 299 5133
Chair: Andy StephensonTel: 0191 [email protected]: Ian Bloomfield Tel: [email protected]: Wendi Wheeler Tel: 01642777970 [email protected]
Chair: Julia BlackwellTel: 01480 [email protected]: Steve Adelizzi Tel: 01279 [email protected]: Bruce PittingaleTel: 05602 391 [email protected]
