Old gas boiler? Big bills?

If you live in West Bridgford, have an old gas boiler, and maybe a large or solid wall house that is expensive to heat or just doesn't get that warm, read on....

(click on the image to see at full size) Call 07962 453037 for further details.

More on good insulation deals

If you want to add to your loft insulation but have found that you don't qualify for the various free and subsidised schemes going on at the moment because you have more than the minimum amount, what can you do?

Phil at Nottingham Energy Partnership (NEP) has just emailed me to say that for DIYers, there are some exceptional offers on loft insulation at Homebase right now.

If you have less than 60-100mm of loft insulation, you will be able to get free loft insulation (e.g. via the Rushcliffe Borough Council's Warmstreets scheme in the previous post, or via NEP's scheme). Details vary slightly from scheme to scheme, so don't give up if you are excluded from one scheme - you may qualify for another scheme or a subsidised deal. Don't miss out!

If you don't qualify for free loft insulation but have less than 130-150mm already, you can probably find a subsidised deal by phoning around (e.g. via the Rushcliffe Borough Council's Warmstreets scheme in the previous post, or via NEP's scheme). Details vary slightly from scheme to scheme, so don't give up if you are excluded from one scheme - you may qualify for another.

These same schemes also provide free and subsidised cavity wall insulation. They all look likely to end next year, so 2012 is the year to "GET A ROUND TUIT"!!!

The Race Is On: Free Insulation in 2012

The race is on to get your home insulated for free during 2012! Until the end of this year households in Rushcliffe (and elsewhere in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) can take advantage of free loft and cavity wall insulation for their home regardless of their income, thanks to Warmstreets, the only insulation scheme endorsed by Rushcliffe Borough Council.

This time limited offer includes free loft insulation for any private household (owned or rented) that currently has less than or equal to 100mm, as well as free cavity wall insulation. Those who already have over 100mm of loft insulation can pay a subsidised price of just £99 to have it topped up to the recommended level of 270mm.

Sheila Hood, Community Energy Officer at Rushcliffe Borough Council, said:
‘This offer is better than free! Not only can we now install loft and cavity wall insulation without charging, but you will save money on your energy bills for years to come as your home will be easier to heat – up to £175 a year if you install loft insulation and £135 if you install cavity wall insulation. It will also reduce the impact of your home on the environment.’


She added a warning:
‘Free insulation is only possible due to government subsidies which are due to end in December 2012. After that we expect loft and cavity wall insulation to cost several hundred pounds. Take advantage while you can! Almost 400 Rushcliffe residents already have!’

Householders who are interested can call Warmstreets on 0800 043 9569, or if calling from a mobile, 0333 577 9569, to arrange a survey today. Alternatively, visit: www.warmstreets.co.uk. Offers are subject to survey and depend on house size.

The first two Homes Behaving Badly workshops on Saturday 3rd March 2012 attracted an audience of home owners looking to make energy efficiency improvements to their own homes.

Tina Holt, Penney Poyzer and Gil Schalom ran the workshops, which started with the free ways to save energy. The audience were already saving a packet between them, with a host of money-saving tips like "using the hot tap with the shortest pipe run" or "only using hot water when really necessary".

For those who were looking to make free or very low cost improvements, Julie "Queen of Mean" told her story - and entertained the group with her humorous promotion of the low-tech solutions.

Great low cost options were discussed - bubble-wrap over north facing windows that are obscured anyway, plastic film over window panes (fix it on with double-sided tape and a hair-dryer), or the power of the humble curtain - with thermal lining or an older curtain behind for extra insulation.

Gil Schalom, green architect, gave information of a more technical nature, as the audience asked specific questions about their own homes and the issues they want to tackle.

Rushcliffe Borough Council's Energy Officer provided a stand and gave out information during the tea breaks, and Michael and Mo brought samples from their low energy refurbishment project and shared their experiences. At the same time, a short film of an ultra-insulated loft conversion (one of the case studies) ran in the background.

One person noted on the feedback form: "I thought I had a pretty good energy efficient house. Now I know there's a lot more I can do!"

The next 2 workshops on 10th March will focus on whole house retrofit (generally a higher cost option!) and on low and high cost ways to make attic rooms and loft conversions more energy efficient.

To book your place on a workshop or to visit the 3 Nottingham homes which will open their doors this March during SuperHomes Week, contact sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com.

To see details of these open SuperHomes, just search for Nottingham on the SuperHomes "Open Homes Events" list.

More about the exhibition

There are just days to go to West Bridgford’s free exhibition of low energy homes on 21st January 2012 (see previous post), so here is a bit more information about the displays and presentations.

Seven low energy homes will be represented in detail, each with their own display of photos, information and in some cases, samples of energy saving products. 


(Two homes will be open to visitors during the afternoon - the timber frame new build and the 1950's refurbishment. Just sign up at the stand for either house or email info@wbecohouses.co.uk to visit at 2pm or 3pm.)

Energy efficiency advice will be available from Sheila Hood, Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Energy Officer. 

Independent information about renewable technologies will be displayed on the Energy Saving Trust stand where Tim Saunders will be able to answer your questions.

In a separate room, between 10am and 1pm there will be a series of short 20 minute presentations in the following order:

10.15   Creating a zero carbon barn conversion

      David Hill, Managing Director of Carbon Legacy

10.40   Latest news on the Feed in Tariff, Renewable Heat Incentive and Green Deal

            Tim Saunders, Energy Saving Trust

11.10   Ultra low energy refurbishment – externally insulated 1950’s brick house

            Gil Schalom, Architect and Tina Holt, organiser of the exhibition

11.30   Ultra low energy refurbishment – internally insulated stone Coach House

            Gil Schalom, Architect

12.00   Building low energy homes in the Meadows and Sneinton

            John Long, project leader for Igloo and Blueprint Regeneration

12.30   Timber frame new build – a very low energy home in West Bridgford

            Mike Siebert, Architect

If you would like any further information about the exhibition, email info@wbecohouses.co.uk

Exhibition of local low energy homes

As part of the Eco Houses under Construction series, we have organised a FREE Exhibition on Saturday 21st January 2012 (10am-1pm) at St Paul's Church Hall on Boundary Road in West Bridgford. To see to poster, click here.

The exhibition will showcase all the houses that have already featured in the Eco Houses under Construction series, with a few additional examples as well. From a solid wall home insulated with minimal disruption to the occupants, to full scale ultra low energy refurbishments and new builds, this is a sneak preview of the homes of the future.

It is a great chance to see the displays and talk to the home owners, architects and those who provided the products and services to create these low energy homes. And it is a one-off opportunity to compare the different projects while they are all represented under one roof.

• If your New Year's resolutions include cutting your energy bills, come and have a chat with Rushcliffe Borough Council's Energy Officer. She will be offering independent advice about improvements that should save you money in the short to medium term. And we'll have the latest news on the Green Deal - a scheme designed to help people finance energy efficiency savings with no up front cost.

• If you live in a solid wall house and find it increasingly expensive to heat, come and talk to the home-owners who have already improved their homes, and the experts who helped them.

• If installing renewable energy generation technologies might be for you, independent renewables expert, Tim Saunders from the Energy Saving Trust will be able to answer your questions.

• If you have ambitious plans to live in an ultra low energy or zero carbon home, or to be completely self-sufficient by producing all your own energy, this exhibition is a must-see.

We hope to make the event enjoyable as well as informative, so Taste Cafe will be there selling their delicious cakes and light lunchtime snacks.

The Eco Houses Under Construction project is funded by Climate East Midlands, East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership and Communities and Local Government with a Growing Climate Friendly Communities grant. It is overseen by the charity Groundwork East Midlands. 

Rushcliffe Awards Scheme

11th Nov '10: Members of Transition West Bridgford attended the evening Rushcliffe community awards ceremony at Beckett School. We had a little bit of hope as we had some nominations - for example, for services to local business, or to the environment. But with so many things going on, and so many worthy volunteers deserving the prizes, we will have to wait another year.
   Well done to Kinoulton for their Mayor's special award, for a Greening Campaign that managed to get 50% of the village involved, which is, apparently, a national record!
Pictured are: Tina Holt (WB Ecohouses), Karina Wells (Transition WB and other things), David Nicholson-Cole (Rushcliffe Solar), Mrs Marie Males (Mayor of Rushcliffe), Sheila Hood (Sustainability officer for Rushcliffe BC)
We notice that Nottingham City Council had an award scheme on Wednesday night, focused on environmental issues with seven distinct categories for Environmental work.
Nottm Evening Post link 

Nottingham Evening Post features Rushcliffe Solar

28 Sept '10: Many thanks to the Nottingham Evening Post (and Jon Robinson) for a well written article on the Rushcliffe Solar project.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/westbridgford/7-000-West-Bridgford-homes-suitable-solar-panels/article-2690774-detail/article.html

Quite often when you see something about you written in the media, you are grinding your teeth at the inaccuracies, but Jon is an experienced writer on environmental matters and has written it perfectly. I am glad to see that he got a comment there from a member of Rushcliffe BC.

So, congratulations to Jon on a good write up, and I have only one small addition which is to add that people wishing to get a free PV survey from Rushcliffe Solar should use the website http://rushcliffesolar.blogspot.com and leave their details on the ENQUIRE Tab.
===davidnc
Rushcliffe Solar is a Photovoltaic campaign jointly initiated by Rushcliffe BC, Transition West Bridgford, Energy Saving Trust and University of Nottingham, with subsequent sponsorship by ten solar installers.

Rushcliffe will be a power generator!

27 Sept '10: Councils can Create & Sell Electricity: when the Feed in Tariff came in, it was for householders, institutions and businesses, but somehow Local Authorities were not allowed to take part. This seemed anomalous as they have many many roofs in their ownership - the prime purpose of the legislation would seem to have been to reduce power generation transmission losses from distant fossil fuel power stations by local generating. So why were LAs not included?

Chris Huhne as part of the Coalition Government removed the ban - so that Councils are now able to generate electricity for sale to the grid.

In the light of this at the first available Council Meeting, Lib Dem Councillor Rod Jones proposed at a Council meeting on 23rd Sept: "in the light of the decision of the Secretary of State for Energy to remove the ban on Councils selling renewable energy, this Council recognising its scope from land and premises to produce energy from wind, solar, ground source and other sources, will review as soon as is practicable, the available options and the associated costs and income in the long term."

Well it is good news that this was approved!