Take Action For A Warmer Home This Winter
Many householders may dread the arrival of bills in the new year with suspected fuel price rises.The Devon Affordable Warmth Officer has devised a list of useful numbers to provide help and information to householders for all their heating needs:
Take Action For A Warmer Home This Winter-Devon
Hastoe Housing Achieves Excellence In Rural Devon
Hastoe Housing Association has completed a new build scheme in rural Kenton, Devon which has achieved an EcoHomes excellent rating.
The Sunnybank scheme consists of two-bedroom and three-bed-five person houses. EcoHomes excellent ratings in rural housing have proven a real challenge for social housing providers. Hastoe designed the houses to benefit the environment and the community as a whole, with energy efficiency, A-rated timber frame construction, solar panels and ecological enhancement, among the key features employed to achieve the excellent rating. The houses have since been leased to two local families.
The Association has a West Country Regional Committee, which includes a number of residents. The committee examines ways in which the team can use the resources of Hastoe, Wyvern and the Bernard Herridge Charity to address economic, social and environmental issues in the West Country-as well as providing low cost housing.
Hastoe's schemes in the West Country are mainly houses in rural areas. A typical village scheme consists of a four 2 bedroomand two 3 bedroom houses. The size of the scheme varies according to the needs of the village. The schemes are set up to help local people and priority for houses.
Home Information Packs with Energy Performance Certificates-Trials started on the 6th of November.
Home Information Packs (HIPs) become mandatory on 1 June 2007. to ensure that the Packs are introduced to consumers smoothly next June, the Department for Communities and Local Government is running a national, voluntary dry-run. This means that Home Information Packs, including Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Home Condition Report (HCRs), can be used by sellers on a voluntary basis. For more information on HIPs see www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk
In September 2006, the department for Communties and Local Government pledged £4 million of funding to support six area trials for the Packs in Bath, Newcastle, Southampton, Northampton, Huddersfield and Cambridge, the first of which begins on 6 November 2006. The trials are being rolled out by the Department in Partnership with industry and aim to help test both the Packs and full Home Condition Reports. For more Information on the dry-runs see http://homeinformationpack.gov.uk/dry-run.aspx
For further Information about Home Information Packs (HIPs) go to the Department of Communities and Local Government website www.communities.gov.uk
UPDATE: INSPECTOR TO VISIT SITE OF BROKEN WIND BLADE
17 January 2006
An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive is to visit a windfarm where part of a half-ton blade sheared off a turbine and flew into a nearby field. The inspector will visit the Cold Northcott windfarm on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall to see if a full investigation into safety at the site is needed.
There are 22 wind turbines at the facility, all of which are 36 metres high with two 18-metre blades.
Trevor Gait, general manager of Cumbria Windfarms who operate the site, said the site was safe and the accident was an extremely unusual event. He said: "We have three full-time staff working at the site and we do undertake maintenance to minimise the very small risks involved.
"The turbine which broke is different from all the others at the site, and as far as we know it is totally unique in the world."
Campaigners still have lingering concerns about the safety of the farm as the turbine was operating in high winds when the blade snapped, and one passer-by claims the heavy chunk of blade travelled about 100 metres from the turbine
BIG CHUNK OF TURBINE BLADE SHEARS OFF
14 January 2006
Part of a wind turbine blade weighing more than half a ton snapped off and crashed into a field during high winds. A chunk of the 18 metre (59 feet) long blade sheared off at the Cold Northcott windfarm on Bodmin Moor at about 9am yesterday.
Peter Townsend, from the nearby village of St Clether, spotted the damaged blade on the 36 metre (118 feet) high turbine as he was driving past.
He said: "I couldn't help but notice it as I was passing, because a big bit of the blade was missing. It was lying a fair way from the turbine in a field, so it must have flown quite a way after it snapped off.
"Some of these turbines are very close to the road and footpaths, and my house isn't far away.
"I don't like the fact that this can happen, because it's very dangerous."
The Cold Northcott site has 21 turbines which straddle the A395 Launceston to Hallworthy road, just past the village of Piper's Pool.
Operators Cumbria Windfarms said the site has been running since April 1993 and nothing like this had happened there before.
Trevor Gait, the firm's general manager, said: "At the moment we do not know how this has happened, but we will be conducting a full investigation.
"Safety is a top priority for us, and we do everything we can to minimise the risks involved in wind turbines, which are very, very minimal. This is a very rare occurrence."
There are seven operational windfarms in Cornwall and one in Devon, but more are planned for the South West.
Tony Wood, a member of the Den Brook Valley Action Group, which is protesting against a proposed windfarm in Devon, near Okehampton, said the accident was proof of the danger of wind turbines.
He said: "The wind turbines they want to build here will be about 120 metres high, and the tip of their blades will be moving at 150mph at full speed.
"If something that big and that high comes off at high speed it could travel a very long way.
"Most windfarms are near roads, railways, or walking paths, and the dangers are obvious."
ENERGY INEFFICIENT
Friday January 6, 2006
For Europeans facing the prospect of double-digit price increases for their heating bills yet again, the row between Russia and Ukraine over the cost of natural gas is a salutary wake-up call.
The halting of gas supplies to Ukraine and the concomitant cuts in output in mainland Europe - as much as 50% in one day - exposed the EU's over-dependence on Russia and the Kremlin-controlled company Gazprom.
Energy has been the Cinderella of EU policies in the digital era, but there are signs that the three-pronged threat posed by the latest oil shock, climate change and, of course, security of supply has put it centre stage.
The immediate reaction to the resolution of the Moscow-Kiev dispute is to make this threat - and particularly security of supply - the key item on the agenda of the EU's spring summit, which takes place in March.
Almost overlooked at the time because of the fratricidal battle over the EU budget, Tony Blair made a spectacular somersault at an informal summit in Hampton Court last October.
The prime minister called for a common energy policy, anathema to the UK in the years when North Sea oil and gas supplies were plentiful.
He proposed a pan-EU electricity grid, shared reserves of stored gas and co-ordinated investment in alternative energy sources as critical elements of such a policy.
Andris Piebalgs, the EU energy commissioner, and Martin Bartenstein, the Austrian economy minister, both affirmed the central importance of Mr Blair's proposal.
Mr Piebalgs is to draw up a preliminary paper for the March summit, and the aim is to have, at the very least, the outlines of a common policy in place by the end of 2006.
The question now is whether this is too little, too late.
EU over-dependence on Russian natural gas - which already accounts for a quarter of Europe's supplies - was sealed when the government of Gerhard Schröder overturned the German cartel office and waved through the takeover by the utility group Eon of Ruhrgas, the country's main pipeline operator and chosen partner of Gazprom.
Mr Schröder, now a Gazprom adviser, gave quasi-monopoly powers to Ruhrgas/Gazprom over gas supplies to western Europe at a stroke.
Warnings by Callum McCarthy, the then chairman of the UK energy regulator Ofgem, and Roy Gardner, the chief executive of Centrica, the British Gas group, that this would be the case went unheeded.
Former state incumbents, including part-privatised Gaz de France, are now locked into long-term supply contracts with Gazprom while the price of gas, index-linked to oil prices, will soar for consumers.
At the same time, these dominant energy groups are buying up smaller competitors - with even Centrica and Scottish Power seen as vulnerable to takeover - to the point where analysts expect only a handful of major players to be active in the market by the end of this decade.
The EU response to this growing dominance, or stranglehold, has been pitifully slow, even though it has been known for some time that imports will account for 70% of energy supplies by 2030.
Renewables such as wind power, meant to provide 20% of supplies by 2020, have developed far short of their targets - partly because of cost.
Old fossil-fuel power plants have been run, with minimal new investment, to squeeze the last life out of them. The switch to liquefied natural gas, brought from North Africa and the Middle East, has been intermittent.
The EU's energy market is fragmented and divided on national lines, with even the inter-connectors between the UK and France, Belgium and Holland under-performing.
This nationalistic response has been underlined by the debate over nuclear power.
France, 80% dependent on atomic energy, yesterday gave the go-ahead to a new generation of plants (as well as renewables) while Germany, under Angela Merkel, reaffirmed its decision to phase out its nuclear plants.
Britain is likely to follow the French lead in the teeth of fierce opposition. Mr Blair, his advisers such as the Oxford academic Dieter Helm, of the Oxera consultancy, Piebalgs et al can clearly see the need for a co-ordinated response - urgently.
The sheer scale of the technologies and costs thereof is such that a joint approach to investment is desirable. But this will, more than likely, prove to be pie in the sky politics. A solemn declaration at the end of the spring summit will be followed by inaction and a reversion to the national policies that lie at the heart of the problem.
The Russians will retain their leverage but, at least, they will have engendered a more profound public debate. Small consolation when the lights go out
COUNTING THE COST OF CHRISTMAS
December 2005
Well, here we all are again. With aching feet and empty wallets we trudge our way back to the car one final time and breathe a sigh of relief that the consumerism fest is finally over for one more year (while at the same time trying not to think about the credit card bills hitting the doormat in January). So I wonder, exactly how much does Christmas cost us?
According to MSN finance, £10,538.24. Thats what it would cost in 2005 to buy all of the presents listed in "The 12 Days of Christmas". But what about the hidden costs? What about the 200,00 + trees felled to make cards, over half of which will be abandoned in landfill by the end of January, or the 750 million extra bottles thrown away over the festive period? And the most worrying cost of all is the carbon cost that accompanies all of these wastful statistics, threatening to exacerbate the problem of global warming for many Christmases to come.
The average person contributes one tonne of carbon over the two main weeks of the festive season through cooking, TV watching, shopping, rubbish and Christmas lights, around eight times the amount normally produced in a two week period. Maybe its time to forget about that "White Christmas" we all dreamt of as children, and begin aspiring to a green Christmas for the future.
Jo Nicholson - Secretariat for DSEN
1. Turn heating down
The turkey is in the oven, your extended family has descended, and things are getting heated. So why not turn the thermostat down? Making it one degree cooler could cut your heating bill by up to 10 per cent and save you £30 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
2. Christmas cards
One billion Christmas cards could end up in the bin this year,at a cost of over 200,000 trees, so stay sustainable by recycling yours. WH Smith and Tesco will start in-store collections after Christmas. Save money by sending recycled or charity-based cards, or maybe an electronic card and make a charity donation instead.
3. It's a wrap
Over 83 sq km of Christmas wrapping paper will end up in the bin this year - make sure yours isn't among it by recycling.
As an alternative to buying wrap, why not buy some recycled brown paper, and make it your own by decorating it - this is both fun and eco-friendly. Or you could follow in granny's footsteps and save any wrap you use/receive over Christmas and use it again next year.
4. Travel right
Public transport may not be an attractive proposition over the festive season: services are limited and there are some cancellations.
But try to reduce the impact of those extra shopping trips and visits to relatives by walking, using public transport or car sharing where possible. The latter is a great way to save petrol and parking fees and with fewer cars it's easier to find a space, giving you a few extra minutes when you arrive. Plus, you can catch up on the latest gossip with a friend on the way.
5. Tree care
Eight million Christmas trees will be bought in the UK this year, generating more than 12,000 tons of additional rubbish when they are thrown away. But your local council or garden centre may run a scheme for chipping and composting trees - reducing the environmental toll. Check www.recyclenow.com for a scheme near you.
Check that your tree comes from a sustainable source. The Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org) will certify sustainable timber. If you can, aim to buy a locally grown tree - this way harmful carbon emissions from a long overseas journey will be minimised.
For an even greener approach, buy a tree with roots - which can be planted in the garden for use next year.
6. Local produce
Britons will eat 10 million turkeys this year - few of them organic. Buck the trend and find an organic shop in your area at www.organicfood.co.uk.
Many towns have farmers' markets that supply locally produced and organic products - why not stop by one to get some vegetables, meats and chutneys? Find your local market at www.farmersmarkets.net.
7. Give ethically
Why not make a big difference to someone who really needs help this Christmas with an ethical gift? For just £6 you can buy school dinners for 100 children in Africa, £12 will buy an essential hygiene kit, at £24 a goat makes a more unusual gift or, if you fancy splashing out, £50 will pay for a donkey. All available from Oxfam (Oxfamunwrapped.com).
8. Choose Fairtrade
It's a well-known fact we're a nation of caffeine addicts - Britain consumes 500g of coffee per person, per year. So why not make a New Year's resolution to buy Fairtrade? Visit www.realcoffee.co.uk for more information.
Fairtrade goods are now widely available in local supermarkets. As well as coffee and tea you can get Fairtrade chocolate, honey, sugar, wine and bananas.
9. Make your own decorations
Each year we spend £23 per household on Christmas decorations - this year do something different. Why not make your own out of recycled materials and recycle them when you've finished with them?
Make a snowman out of an old lightbulb, chains out of recycled paper, and gingerbread decorations. Further inspiration can be found at www.familycrafts.about.com.
10. Shop sustainably
Cut down on Christmas shopping carrier bags by putting more than one gift in each bag, or even better take a bag with you. Don't accept bags that you don't need - it just adds to the 3 million tons of festive waste created each year.
11. Toast to a sustainable New Year
Up to 750 million glass bottles and containers and 500 million drinks cans are used over Christmas. Where possible buy one large container rather than several smaller ones. And recycle them.
12. Shop online
Shoppers are expected to snap up £5 billion of gifts on the internet this year - why not join them? You'll save on carrier bags, petrol and parking costs, emissions and - most importantly - stress.
Want to find out more about having a Green Christmas? Click here to download eco - queen Donnachadh McCarthys article on ways to save carbon during the festive season.
CASH BOOST FOR ELDERLY RESIDENTS
5th December 2005
Extra financial help is being offered to elderly people in South Devon as temperatures plummet and gas bills soar.
Age Concern has increased its cold weather payment by 50 per cent, a rebate that is available to all its gas customers aged 60 or over on days when the temperature drops below freezing. The payment is funded by energy company Powergen and is in addition to the government's current initiative.
Diana Corrick, from Age Concern Devon, said: "Many older people are conscious of an increase in their fuel bills during the winter months and it has been shown that insufficient heating can greatly increase an individual's susceptibility to hypothermia and other illnesses.
"Our package is designed to meet the needs of older people - the additional funds will equate to almost a week's usage of gas fire, free of charge and will give comfort that during the coldest periods this winter heating will be made more affordable."
The charity has also given practical advice on being energy efficient this winter:
Wrap up your hot water cylinder. Adding an insulating jacket on to an existing cylinder can help to retain its heat and save energy. Cylinder jackets can be purchased for only a few pounds from home improvement stores and will pay for themselves in a matter of months by cutting your heating bills by as much as £10 or £15 a year.
Brew up. Regular cups of tea and coffee can help to keep you warm but be careful of boiling more water than you need. This will use unnecessary electricity and put extra pennies on your bill.
Shut all curtains and doors. Shutting curtains and doors helps to eliminate draughts and keep heat inside rooms.
Turn it down. The optimum temperature for heating your home is 21?C in the living room and 18?C in the rest of the house, but many people have their heating on higher than it needs to be. Simply turning your central heating thermostat down by just 1?C can cut bills by a massive 10 per cent.
To find out more about Age Concern's Energy Services package call free on 0800 015 6785.
NEW WIND FARM PROPOSAL FOR BATSWORTHY CROSS
npower renewables is investigating the potential for a medium sized wind farm at Batsworthy Cross on open farm land south of Knowstone and the A361
The proposal may comprise up to 9 wind turbines capable of producing a total of 18 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity. With this capacity Batsworthy Cross could meet the needs of up to 8,000 homes each year - that's equivalent to a fifth of all the homes in North Devon! Not only would Batsworthy Cross Wind Farm supply a huge number of homes with clean, sustainable electricity but it would make a significant contribution towards achieving Devon’s adopted target of 151MW of installed renewable energy generation by 2010.
With only 23MW of renewables installed across Devon so far, Batsworthy Cross would contribute a further 12% to Devon’s target of generating electricity from renewables - nearly doubling current contributions. If constructed the site would help offset the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the main greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. In fact Batsworthy Cross would offset up to 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, which would otherwise have been produced by power stations burning fossil fuels.
Simon Holt, Development Manager for npower renewables, and active member of the DSEN Renewable Energy sub group said: “This site offers serious inroads into achieving a sustainable future for Devon. We have spent a lot of time finding Batsworthy Cross which is sensibly located and suitably sized for its surroundings. With Devon’s fantastic renewable energy resources barely tapped, it is proposals like this that we must be looking toward.”
To read more about the Batsworthy Cross proposal visit the npower renewables website.
REPORT CASTS DOUBT ON GREEN ENERGY PLANT
26 October 2005
Fresh concerns were raised about plans for a controversial "green" power plant in the Westcountry last night after a Government-sponsored report warned that the technology involved was "at the margin of profitability".
Critics of the proposed biomass power plant at Winkleigh, in Devon, seized on comments in a report from the Government's Biomass Task Force yesterday which appeared to question the value of trying to generate electricity from so-called energy crops.
The long-awaited report said that biomass had "significant" potential to help cut the UK's carbon emissions. But it urged ministers to focus support on biomass heat projects, rather than on those that will generate just electricity.
The report said that even with the massive public subsidies available to renewable energy projects, biomass was of limited value for electricity generation unless a use could also be found for the heat generated.
It added: "Studies suggest that... biomass-fired electricity is at the margin of profitability, even taking current methods of assistance into account, and even with existing combustion technologies as opposed to more experimental technologies."
The report stopped short of urging the Government to abandon funding for new biomass plants, saying that small projects could help develop the supply of crops. But it said the "relative inefficiency" of biomass electricity "has to be noted".
To read this story in full, click here.
