Climate Change Evening – Next Steps
Climate Change Evening – Next Steps
Thank you to all those who attended our climate change evening. It was great to have so much interest in progressing climate change improvements in our parish and also to hear views on what is on people’s minds.
At the session we focussed on some of the practical points about how best to reduce heat loss from our homes (start with your loft) whilst keeping the house adequately ventilated. We also looked at how much carbon we can save from changing over our oil boilers to heat pumps, installing Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and Electric Vehicle savings. Some shared their experiences and could offer useful advice to others. (The Parish Council can’t recommend installers). Energy costs are rising and will rise again and it is clear that any improvements you make to your home will save on your energy bills. The IPCC are telling us to halve our emissions by 2030.
Feedback: Some people needed help deciding what to do next in their homes. Some commented on the need to have further support as to how to do this which we can investigate. Some were interested in having a group that could improve sustainability, reduce waste, reduce travel impact through lift sharing, support biodiversity projects etc. Please let us know if you’d like to be part of such a group.
Funding: It is possible to access funds through the latest initiative where Worcestershire Council and Malvern Hills have funds under a crowdfunding scheme, capped at up to £20k per project to contribute funds to sustainability projects that that are supported by communities. This could be, for example, a project to improve the sustainability of the village hall or biodiversity in our community. It might be possible to apply for funding to engage independent support for providing free or low cost professional advice to residents, or to support a community led PV scheme to generate green electricity for community services.
Please look at the following links and let us know what ideas you would like to progress for our community. If there is enough support, those who are interested can form a group and we can kickstart your idea. There are various funds but projects must have a clear goal and broad community benefit and can include restoration, new facilities, biodiversity, community events.
www.spacehive.com/movement/worcs
Please note the government’s new scheme Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) for supporting renewable technology is going live now, worth £5,000 for air source heat pumps or biomass boilers, or £6,000 for ground source heat pumps subject to your house having cavity wall insulation if applicable and enough loft insulation.
Remember if your home is suitable for PV panels or other renewables then currently there is a VAT exemption making the technology cheaper. If you are not ready to take this step start by taking advantage of the zero VAT on insulation.
Please contact us with your ideas and what you’d like to see happening next. Please provide your email address if you’re interested in being involved in a climate group in the parish. Replay to