Projects

Renewable Energy

Taking forward one of the recommendations of the SW Devon Community Energy Partnership’s Strategic Energy Study, the Partnership has been deploying community-owned renewable energy.

This activity moves the Partnership’s members closer to becoming financially self-sustaining.

Local Energy Advice Programme

Building on previous energy efficiency projects undertaken by the Partnership’s members, South Dartmoor Community Energy and Tamar Energy Community are delivering home energy visits as part of the Local Energy Advice Programme in partnership with Cosy Devon, the local authority backed energy efficiency scheme. You can contact either South Dartmoor Community Energy or Tamar Energy Community to discuss your situation and find out if you are eligible for a home visit to help you make your home warmer and manage your energy costs.

Energy Savers

This is a collaborative project between the Energy Savings Trust (EST) and the SW Devon Community Energy Partnership which ran until arch 2015. The aim of this pilot project was to:

1. Identify the part that community groups can play to drive uptake of retrofit measures and energy saving changes within domestic properties . This is to highlight any barriers in effective take-up of home improvements relating to efficiency measures and understand how they can be overcome through community engagement and joint working.
2. Assess the potential advantage to be gained from establishing ‘blocks’ of households able to take up measures.
3. Establish a core pool of retrofitted properties across a number of communities providing valuable case studies and encouraging further take up through peer to peer knowledge exchange.

The project worked with five communities in the SWDCEP area. These are:

• Totnes
• Moretonhampstead – Cheriton Bishop
• Newton and Noss
• Tavistock – Horrabridge
• South Brent

Free energy workshops, funded by the Dartmoor National Park Authority,  were available in each community.

Energy Champion Training

Energy Champion Training

Thirty representatives from the SW Devon Community Energy Partnership communities have been trained by the Centre for Sustainable Energy in domestic energy efficiency. The  Energy Champions can offer advice on:

• Low and no-cost measures that any householder can take to reduce their fuel use
• The main controls found on a central heating system and how to use them
• The functions of night storage heater controls and how to use them
• Insulation and draught proofing options for different types of properties and circumstances
• How to tackle damp and condensation
• Interpreting energy bills and read meters
• Changing fuel provider
• The Green Deal process and ECO, and what help/advice is available

Contact your local SWD CEP group with your questions!