ENERGY CHAMPIONS
You may want to have an informal discussion about how you can improve the energy efficiency of your home.
The Parish Council has two volunteer Energy Champions who offer free, no-obligation conversations on the doorstep, or in the homes, of people within the local community area, who would like to know more before deciding what to do next. Our Energy Champions are reasonably knowledgeable concerning home energy and have undertaken a short training course concerning peer to peer conversations. There are also excellent impartial and trustworthy sources of advice on this can be found online.
If you would like to arrange for one of our Energy Champions to visit you, please contact the Clerk.
Disclaimer: Our Energy Champions offer general information only, provided in good faith. They do not provide statements or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity or completeness of any information. Householders wishing to act on such information should take their own professional advice specific to their circumstances. We cannot be held liable for any cost, damages, claims or demands or losses suffered from use of the information provided.
Home energy improvements
Home energy improvements should help to:
• Save money on heating bills
• Make homes more comfortable and healthier to live in
• Save carbon to mitigate global heating (climate change)
These improvements are likely to be achieved principally by reducing heat loss (by removing draughts and improving insulation), and/or optimising heating systems (for example, by understanding the controls) and even by installing solar panels or an air-source heat pump which will greatly reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Some home alterations can seem potentially difficult because the changes required may be unfamiliar and sometimes hard to prioritise. If you would be interested to know more about how you could cut your emissions and/or reduce your energy bills, perhaps having recognised what actions are needed after seeing the FLIR camera images of your home, the following might be of interest to you:
Your next steps could be:
- Accessing independent, unbiased and reliable online information on the options which exist for home energy improvements (Centre for Sustainable Energy and Energy Saving Trust )
- Finding a handyman/woman to support simple loft insulation/draught proofing tasks
- Finding a professional installer for the range of energy saving and renewable energy technologies which are suitable (see below)
- Arranging for one of our trained volunteer Energy Champions to visit you at no obligation and for free to look inside and outside your home. They will make suggestions about what to do next, having considered your preferences after talking to you and their knowledge of the range of improvements that might be available, and help you to make decisions about what you might do next.
Finding a Professional Installer of Renewable and Energy Saving Technologies
There are now many installers of renewable and energy saving systems in the UK, some better than others, and sadly there are also some ‘cowboy’ installers out there too. In order to get the best value for money for your system it is important to do some research before you buy. We recommend that you do not order systems from installation companies that make unsolicited approaches to you without doing some research first.
Firstly, use a trusted source of information (including those on the links below) to understand how the different renewable and energy saving systems work and which might be best for you. It may also be well worthwhile employing a consultant to help you to calculate the best type and size of system for you.
Once you have decided the type of system that will meet your needs you should get quotes for the installation. We also recommend that you select a company that has experience in fitting renewable or energy saving systems. We also recommend that you obtain quotes from two or three suppliers and be sure to ask for references or up-to-date testimonials. A quick chat with someone who has just had work done is valuable.
We cannot recommend particular consultants or installers because it is hard to keep up to date and to find recent relevant experience to promote any one installer. Instead here are some sites that you can use to find reputable and certificated consultants and installers:
Energy Saving
Renewable Energy
• The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)
• Renewable Energy Consumer Code
Some of these websites also include reviews which could help you to produce a shortlist of potential companies.