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About Us This page covers who we are, our aims, and our constitution. |
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We would very much like to hear from any other organisation which can give us advice or help us in achieving our current aims for improving energy efficiency in a village environment. Our current priorities are:
We are happy to provide links from this web site to organisations and web sites with similar or related aims, even if these are not part of our current agenda. If in doubt on who to contact John Richards on 01235-850218 or email john@rcp.co.uk. |
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All the committee live in Blewbury
Allan Ridgeley's interest in energy issues dates back to when he worked for the Atomic Energy Establishment throughout the 1960s. Though he no longer has any specialist knowledge about energy issues, he is concerned about the imminent energy crisis and hopes he can be of use in helping Blewbury residents to meet the challenges as energy supplies become scarcer and more expensive.
David Watsham runs a design and building project management company, has an interest in energy conservation, and is a licensed producer of Energy Performance Certificates.
Eric Eisenhandler is a physicist at Queen Mary, University of London, working on the ATLAS experiment at CERN in Geneva. He is very concerned about global warming and energy issues, and wants to work to improve the situation in the local community.
Hugh Osborn was a founder of the BVS Environment Group and has a keen interest in energy efficiency and climate change issues. He has past experience in power generation and distribution in the UK and SE Asia.
Ian Bacon leads the team. Ian is a Solar and Built Environment Advisor with Thames Valley Energy
Ian was the Energy Conservation Officer for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and joined TV Energy
after a part-time secondment.
Ian is also an experienced businessman after holding several managerial and consultancy positions in the Far East.
Ian's recent MSc in Environmental Policy and Management has provided a foundation
for his present position in TV Energy as lead on Community Projects.
Ian is also an Eco-Homes Assessor. His work phone number is 01635-817420.
Jo Lakeland works with the Energy Group at the University of Reading, staying on there after an MSc in Renewable Energy and the Environment six years ago. Her commitment to sustainability issues has resulted in her also becoming the Network Co-ordinator for BIONIS (the international BIOmimetics Network for Industrial Sustainability)
John Richards maintains this web site. His phone number is 01235-850218.
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The Blewbury Energy Initiative was established by the Blewbury Village Society Environment Group in September 2005. It is led by Ian Bacon, who has extensive experience in alternative energy and energy conservation.
| Its aim is to assist people to reduce energy use in buildings in Blewbury, in ways which both reduce the amount of the coal, oil, gas and electricity needed in Blewbury and at the same time help the global environment. |
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The Initiative provides relevant information, and offers advice to anyone who is planning energy saving improvements in the Village, whether in domestic homes, public buildings or workplaces. General advice is collated and provided initially via the Blewbury web site. Hopefully this assists not only people in Blewbury but others who are interested in seeking similar savings. |
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| An early activity was a survey of a small sample of the range of houses in the Village, to give an indication of the current energy usage, and of which energy saving methods would be most effective in each type of building. We used this information to provide an estimate of the carbon footprint of the Village. The Initiative is also happy to assist business premises in the Village with advice on the most effective energy saving measures. The Initiative also aims for high energy efficiency in the public buildings in the Village. We therefore are happy, in co-operation with the responsible bodies, to arrange for energy surveys of such buildings, and then to provide assistance in planning and finding funding for any desirable improvements. |
Some people may be interested in installing energy generation from renewable resources, such as solar heating for their home. The Initiative collects information and advice on such installations, including information on the local planning guidance, with the aim of achieving the maximum benefit from any such investment.
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Where it seems appropriate, the Initiative will seek to reduce the cost of energy efficiency improvements by seeking group deals for all who wish to take part. This might take the form of discounts from suppliers or external funding.
The initiative originally planned to run for about two years. It reported on what has been achieved in that time, and a decision was made to extend its life for a further three years.
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- alleviate any existing fuel poverty within the Village (and there are still homes that lack central heating),
- foster a healthier internal environment which links to wider health-related issues,
- free up cash that would be spent on heating and power to be spent within the local economy, and finally,
- foster local business opportunities in the form of energy efficiency and renewable energy installations.
Aims
- To reduce the carbon footprint of the Village buildings through the uptake of energy efficiency measures.
- To take a degree of control over energy provision within the Village through the adoption of renewable energy-generating technologies.
- To identify where fuel poverty exists and to eradicate it from the Village.
- To ensure that community buildings have a minimal impact on the environment and are as energy proficient as possible, for the benefit of current and future Village residents.
Outcomes
- To have a firm idea as to the carbon footprint of the Village building stock and the vagaries within the diversity of that building stock.
- To quantify the market for all appropriate domestic energy efficiency measures.
- To develop a co-ordinated programme, with external agencies, to deliver energy efficiency improvements to the residents and building owners of the Village and to raise the average SAP rating of Blewbury homes.
- To ensure that all community buildings reach 'best practice' standards regarding heating and power provision.
- To encourage all small businesses within the Village to adopt a simple energy policy and to assist their implementation of 'best practice' measures.
- To ensure local 'handy-men' and heating engineers/plumbers are fully versed in 'state-of-the-art' energy solutions for buildings.
- To determine the renewable energy technologies that are considered applicable to the Village and to encourage their uptake, thus leading to a revised demand pattern, which may permit the replacement of overhead cables in some locations.
- To fully document the processes involved and to offer assistance to other regional villages wishing to replicate this project.
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