Low Carbon Hook Norton Agenda for 10th March,
Visitor Cente, Hook Norton Brewery
Were looking forward to a positive and action-packed meeting this Wednesday the first LCHN meeting since the fantastic news about being winners of the Low Carbon Communities Challenge.
The main items for the meeting will be:
1. Feedback from the Dec/January survey of Hooky - Frank Lucas
2. A brief outline of what we've suggested we'll be doing in the LCCC project - very close to what we have discussed at previous meetings.
3. How should we engage with Hooky and surrounds to make sure everyone has an equal chance to participate ?
4. We will also have members from a group called "Carbon Conversations" who will provide a brief outline of the ways they have been engaging people in energy / climate change issues in the Banbury area and wanting to see if there is interest in setting up some sessions in Hooky.
5. As always there will also be an open session to close for people to raise new ideas / concerns etc.
Low Carbon Hook Norton; minutes 12.01.10
Green Hooky
No, the brewery hasn’t developed a new cabbage-based beer, but Low Carbon Hook Norton is working on initiatives to help the village become a low carbon community. We bravely battled through the snow to the brewery visitors centre, urged on by the thought of beer (thanks again to James Clarke and the brewery staff) and the chance to catch up on developments since the last meeting.
Ding, ding - Round 2
The Hook Norton application to the Low Carbon Communities Challenge went through to the second round of bidding for £0.5m of government funding. A decision as to which projects will receive funding will be made at the end of January. So, if we are successful, what would the funding help us to do for the village?
Refurbishment of homes: 40 homes could receive interest free loans to help with energy saving projects, 5 homes could get funding for a total retrofi
Sustainable Green Flag School: Installing solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels on the school roof to generate electricity and a ground source heat pump for heating.
Bio Fuels: The brewery could be the site of a community bio fuel tank to supply waste-oil derived biodiesel
Wind turbines: One possibility if there is local support is to generate electricity with small wind turbines. At the meeting we discussed potential sites with good wind speeds which could unobtrusively house small (9m diameter, 15kW) wind turbines without impacting on the view.
Low Carbon Transport: 2 electric Smart pool cars could be based at the school and charged from the PV installed there
Village Energy Surveys
A big thank you to everyone in the village who completed a survey and to members of the group who fought their way through snow drifts to deliver and then collect them.
So, what did you tell us? A summary so far
Of the respondents:
· 75% have less than the recommended level of insulation (270mm depth) in their lofts and are not intending to top up their insulation in the near future – this means heat, and money, is wafting out of roofs all over the village. You’ll have seen that clearly with the roofs that lost the snow first in January! Do ring 0800-512-012 where you can get subsidised (or free if you are over 60 or on benefits) loft insulation.
· Very few villagers with single-glazed windows are aware of the options for double or secondary glazing
· The village has a heavy reliance on oil for heating – this makes the Oil Purchasing Group a really important initiative
· 5% are considering installing home energy generating systems such as solar panels and air source heat pumps. We hope to provide interest free loans to villagers.
· Over 50% would use bio diesel to fuel their diesel cars. So having a biodiesel tank in the village looks like one to start planning for straight away.
We have had a good response so far, but more feedback will help us identify where we could focus our efforts. We will provide a full feedback on the surveys on the village web site and in the next copy of the newsletter. If your survey hasn’t been collected, you can post it into the collection box in the village shop or school, or pop it to Farthings on High Street (next to the Bell).
Other News
· Hook Norton Low Carbon Ltd, our “one member: one vote” community benefit organisation is now up and running. Shares cost £1 and are available to anyone who lives in Hook Norton or the surrounding area. The more members we have, the more funds we have to support initiatives to benefit our village and families.
· Affiliation Schemes: 15 families have switched over to Green Energy UK (for their electricity) or the Phone Co-op. As with the oil scheme this should in many cases save you money, and commission from this feeds into Hook Norton Low Carbon Ltd and helps us to fund village initiatives. Please contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 737747.
· Hook Norton On-line: Don’t forget to visit the village website on www.hook-norton.org.uk to catch up on absolutely everything that’s happening in the village. The environment forum is the place to talk about anything vaguely related to environmental issues and freecycle is where you go to get rid of, or find household items.
· Scrapping your old boiler: This isn’t an opportunity to do away with the mother-in-law, it’s a scheme which can offer £400 towards replacement of old, inefficient boilers. Oil fuelled boilers over 25 years old are eligible
Next meeting is 7.30pm Wednesday 10th March at the Brewery Visitor Centre. If you would like to know more about these issues contact Tim Lunel on 730446 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Low Carbon Hook Norton; minutes 11.11.09
The group met at the Brewery Visitors Centre (once again, many thanks to James Clarke and the brewery staff for their hospitality).
Green Neighbourhoods (GN)
Justine Prain from the Energy Saving Trust (EST) came to talk about outcomes of the pilot and lessons learned. She commented on the effectiveness of the LCHN group and the level/quality of feedback EST had been able to present to the Government. EST will provide a final report based on review of the pilot. Key issues identified from the pilot are:
- Communication – a flow of information is needed from GN in relation to requirements, deadlines and programme changes. Regular contact, initiated by GN rather than householders, would help us to feel fully informed and up to date. Face to face meetings to talk about how to move forward with projects would be more effective.
- Flexibility in the timescale would help funding and work run more smoothly – the pilot experienced a log-jam as the end of the financial year approached.
- Coordination of different installers/contractors – it was felt that the contractors identified by GN were able to provide a good level of service for “straightforward” houses and in these situations installations ran smoothly. However this stock response was not always appropriate to the range of houses involved in the pilot and identified contractors were not able to provide services for “hard to treat” houses. It was felt that it would be more appropriate for householders to find their own installers who had the knowledge, experience and products which met the needs of these houses.
- Project management – the way funding was managed meant that there were some issues relating to who contractors were responsible to. If funding came directly to householders’ representatives/project manager the contractors would then be answerable to the householder. It would also be supportive if the remit of funding was sufficiently flexible to cover DIY installations/projects.
- Smart meters – People who have had meters installed are using the data in relation to water/electricity/ oil consumption to change their usage patterns. ORSIS have put a lot of work into updating the smart meter website. The good level of communication from them was noted combined with a request to have a session led by ORSIS in Hook Norton to ensure that both EST and LCHN got the most out of the data that is being logged – not least for example that all members are using the data regularly to ensure that there are not data gaps.
What’s next?
- EST are now piloting a new approach through a PAYS (pay as you save) loan system. Applications are currently being considered from communities who will be able to access this loan. If one of the 4 pilots selected by EST cover the Cherwell area then EST will put those running the pilots in touch with Hook Norton householders . Householders who committed to year 2 of the GN pilot will only be able to access support if they can link into these PAYS pilots (or through the Low Carbon Communities Challenge application being put forward – see next item on Hook Norton Low Carbon Ltd.).
- The group thanked EST for their support and for prompting us to take on further initiatives
ESCO (energy saving cooperative) – Hook Norton Low Carbon Ltd
Hook Norton Low Carbon Ltd (HNLC) has now been set up as an industrial and provident society. This is a mutual society working on a “one member: one vote” system – shares cost £1 and are available to anyone who lives in Hook Norton or the surrounding area. Any money raised by HNLC comes back into the mutual society to fund further initiatives/support. Ideas for projects that HNLC could support were discussed.
What is HNLC going to do?
- Offer residents the opportunity to swap to Green Energy UK (electricity) and the Phone Co-op (telephone). If residents sign up for either of these companies and mention that they are involved in Low Carbon Hook Norton, both organisations will give HNLC Ltd 5% of their income from bills. Tim and Charlie commented that they have switched and it all ran very smoothly. Members of the group signed to express their interest in supporting HNLC ltd in this way.
- HNLC Ltd is making an application for the Low Carbon Community Challenge grant from the government. If the application is successful the village would benefit from a £0.5 million grant to support energy saving projects. This funding would provide a cash injection which would mean that HNLC could start a range of small and large scale projects immediately upon receipt of the funding. If this application is unsuccessful there are other funding sources that can be accessed.
- Undertake a survey of villagers to identify priorities for energy saving initiatives. This will take place in Jan 2010
- Provide interest free loans to residents to undertake energy saving projects
Hook Norton primary School
- Charlie has been to visit the school to support their energy saving initiatives
- The school has received a report identifying a range of energy saving actions that they could undertake.
- Ways in which HNLC Ltd could support the school (e.g. solar photo-voltaic panels on the school roof and a ground source heat pump) were discussed
Any other business
- The group welcomed Barbara Saunders a representative from Transition Towns: Chipping Norton who mentioned that they are campaigning for re-instatement of the railway line
- 180 low energy light bulbs are available, free of charge. If anyone is interested please put a note on the environment forum on the village website
- Any ideas in relation to a food co-op or community food production should be put on the environment forum on the village website
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 12th January 2010 at 7.30pm at the Brewery Visitors’ Centre
Low Carbon Hook Norton; minutes 8.9.09
The group met at the Brewery Visitors Centre (once again, many thanks to James Clarke and the brewery staff for their hospitality). The following issues were discussed:
Green Neighbourhoods (GN)
Smart meters: EST are gathering data in relation to usage of water, oil and electricity. Tim is to invite EST in to talk about this and how to access data. People who have had meters installed are using the data to change their usage patterns. A monitor is available which identifies electricity usage by individual items. It appears that when a smart meter has been fitted, water billing is on a metered basis, if you want to be charged on a rateable basis you will need to contact (and nag) water provider
Most jobs supported by GN been completed: Loft insulation ran smoothly, there are a few minor areas to be chased up. Solar panels have proved to be very effective – Ramsay commented that he had not needed to use any other heating over the summer
There is no funding for rolling out the programme for Yr2 although GN are offering a PAYS interest free loan scheme. Tim is to find out how GN will work for families who committed to yr2 of the project
Issues were discussed relating to GN’s use of contractors who can’t cope with non-standard houses
The Energy Saving Trust can provide a hand-holding service to act as project manager/customer liaison. They will be sending out a letter detailing this service to all households who had a Home Action Plan
Community Initiatives
The oil purchasing group is already up and running
ESCO - This is a cooperative to promote community energy saving initiatives and coordinate strategies for ploughing money gained through these back into the community. The initial ESCO group will be – Tim, Ramsay, Charlie, Jem, Frank, Pete, Patrick, Tabby, Paul, Catherine, Phil. Tim will pull together some case studies into a PowerPoint presentation
Strategies for engaging the community
-
Hook Norton 2020: what will life be like for a child who is starting at the village primary school now? Village-wide consultation – what do villagers want life to be like for their children?
Village Open Day: stalls to share issues/ideas in relation to food, energy, household, travel, recycling etc; opportunity to share key issues, what other communities are doing and what Hook Norton could do; ESCO stall
Developing a Village Plan – building on peoples’ ideas/concerns
LCHN next meeting Wednesday 11th November 7.30pm at the Brewery Visitors Centre
------------------------- 7th July 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Low Carbon Hook Norton
The group met on 7th July at the Brewery Visitors Centre (once again, many thanks to James Clarke and the brewery staff for their hospitality). The following issues were discussed:
Charlie has a spare Interflush available which converts a single flush toilet to variable flush to save water. Catherine has received a free sample pack of EcoBalls for washing machines which will be circulated around the group for members to test out. Circulation of the EcoBalls will be organised via the Environment Forum on the village website.
This will be the group’s communication tool to share our vision. Charlie is working on this to refresh it and it should be ready soon. The group will also contribute to the Environment Forum on the village website.
- Green Neighbourhoods Update
Tim now gets weekly updates for 6 houses.
- Solar panels are in the process of being fitted at one property. There have been some communication issues with the loft insulation installation company.
- One household has used Igloo to add 200mm of insulation (total 300mm) at a cost of £450 – they felt that this company were smoother and more efficient. Another household have had the materials provided and self-installed.
- One household has had 5 single glazed windows replaced with double glazed units. The installation by Timberwood was very efficient but the funding doesn’t cover doors.
- Solartec have delivered a hot water tank for use with solar panels but there has been no progress since then due to staffing problems
- Fairford are working well but there have been communication issues with the survey company.
- Solar panels are providing all the heating for Tim’s pool and thermostatic radiator valves fitted
- Aerating shower heads and tap flow restrictors have been fitted. However these are not always appropriate as flow pressure in the village is often low anyway.
- Water meters – there have been some issues with the automated system trying to change accounts over to metered billing. Charlie and Tim haven’t been contacted re fitting their meters – Tim will chase this up.
- The link between water meter and smart meter has not been sorted yet. Tim will re-circulate information re accessing information from smart meters.
- Next year’s funding – the original bid is now dead but Green Neighbourhoods are applying for different funding, possibly on a “pay as you save” basis.
- EST – with reference to getting 50% of costs back from EST if not using their contractors/suppliers – the whole job has to be signed off before householders can submit this claim. Suppliers are paid directly by EST.
The group drew up a list of ideas that could be developed within the village:
- Bio diesel tank
- Car sharing for community events
- Community wind turbine
- Community bio digester
- Local food exchange cooperative/market garden
- Land share for veg growing/use of allotments
- Not using cars for journeys within the village. Bike rack outside shop
- Wider promotion of Freecycle
- Skills share
- Tools share
- Wood pellet/bio mass burner
- Electricity/oil buying group. Coordinator needed to run these, funding raised would go towards other community initiatives
- Links to charitable association
- Solar panels on Sports & Social Club roof
- Makeover of all village owned amenities to incorporate renewable energies, eco products etc
- Links with HN school and school council to engage children of village (Catherine to action)
- Establish a lobby group
- Lottery grant application
- Compost sharing
- Tetrapak recycle bin
- Work with the village shop re stocking eco products
- Stall on village market to share initiatives/ideas
- Talk to pubs re using locally/village grown vegetables
- Develop a green directory to identify food miles
- Talk to school about a walking bus
These were then discussed in relation to our vision of what the village could be in, for example, 15 years time i.e. “What will life be like for our children?” Charlie is to use the list to draw up the group’s vision.
Members of the group are going to identify what they’ve done and the impact it’s had. This should be a balance of financially small and large projects/initiatives.#
William and Marie will set this up but they need someone to coordinate and run the initiative. This will generate funds which can go to further green initiatives or charitable associations. If anyone is interested in coordinating this initiative please email Tim.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 8th September at 7.30pm at the Brewery Visitors’ Centre.
