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.