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HOME PAGES
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GLOBAL WARMING
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references
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WHAT YOU CAN DO
Save energy
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Choose low energy lighting
Transport issues
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Follow other energy advice
Saving energy
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energy usage
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GREEN ISSUES
Renewable energy
Offshore wind costs
Nuclear fission energy
Nuclear fusion energy
Storing the gases
Geo-engineering
BACKGROUND
Facts and figures
Energy assessment
THE INITIATIVE
News & diary of activities
Contacts and aims
Home energy questionnaire
Survey 2009
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The Initiative
The Blewbury Energy Initiative
aims to reduce energy consumption, and to encourage
the use of renewable energy resources wherever possible. We hope to reduce
the amount of coal, oil, gas and electricity used, and to help the global
environment.
New on this website
- See below for recent energy-related news.
- A short note on offshore wind energy costs
expands discussion of wind on our green energy page.
- The nuclear energy page has information and comments
about the Fukushima disaster, and a
new summary on thorium reactors.
News
- In January 2012 we surveyed a record 37 houses plus the new Recreation
Ground Clubhouse using a thermal-imaging camera. More on our activities
page.
- URGENT! The Department of Energy and Climate
Change (DECC) has proposed cuts to the Feed-in Tariff for new (not existing)
solar photovoltaic systems by about half starting in April 2012. Systems
installed and registered after 11 December 2011 (!) would get the lower rates.
In addition, only buildings with an energy rating of at least C might be
eligible. The consultation on these proposals closes 23 December. However,
the way in which this is being done is sudden and very disruptive, and there
is a strong impression that the decisions are already made. Contact the Energy
Initiative if you want more information. You can read our response
to the consultation (pdf) – it makes some points that we have
not yet seen elsewhere.
UPDATE: On 21 December the High Court ruled that setting
a deadline that takes effect before the consultation closes is legally flawed.
DECC's appeal was turned down by the Court of Appeal on 25 January 2012;
DECC has said it will go to the Supreme Court.
- Beware of buying energy-related products
from someone who phones you or turns up on your doorstep uninvited. Many
Blewbury residents have been ‘cold-called’ with offers to install
insulation supported by ‘government’ grants – when challenged
no details were given.
Recently, someone has been turning up in person offering the ‘opportunity’
to have your roof assessed for suitability for ‘thermal roof coatings’
which would save you money and ‘help the environment’– these vague claims were not backed up by any facts about performance.
- At present the Energy Initiative is concentrating on home
insulation, and encourages everyone to take up grants available via
the Cocoon scheme.
- The Department
of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced grants, called Renewable
Heat Premium Payments (RHPP), to run from from August 2011 to March
2012 (or sooner if the money runs out or the maximum of 25,000 grants is
exceeded). These are for solar hot water panels (for all houses), and for
ground-source heat pumps, air-source heat pumps and biomass boilers (for
houses without mains gas heating).
- DECC’s Renewable
Heat Incentive (RHI), to encourage solar hot water, heat pumps and
other renewable sources of heating, begins during 2011 for large-scale
systems. However, for domestic users the scheme won't start until October
2012.
(Our domestic generation page also covers the Feed-in
Tariff for electricity
generation, but note the news item above.)
- There are now about 25 solar photovoltaic systems installed in
Blewbury, partly due to last year’s group
purchase initiative.
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