Film of Installers Fair @ Festival of Nature

What a great Festival of Nature in Stratford Park on Saturday - Transition Stroud were there with their installers fair - you can see my film at:
http://stroudcommunity.tv/the-installers-fair-festival-of-nature/

Also see more about Stroud's Eco-Renovation Open Homes and the 12 homes that will open next weekend, 15th and 16th September 2012: http://www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/

Eco-Renovation Open Homes 15th and 16th Sept

For the 5th year running Transition Stroud will be bringing together householders, individuals and organisations across to Stroud Valleys to celebrate ‘fit for future’ homes.

Last year’s open homes event was a roaring success drawing in hundreds of visitors. During the event visitors were able to learn from homeowners and get lots of ideas about how their home can be more energy efficient. The next event is being held 15th and 16th September 2012; we encourage anyone who considers their home to be energy efficient to get involved.  As well as helping to inform others about benefits of a low carbon lifestyle the event brings Stroud together to celebrate homes that are fit for the future. You can see details of the 12 homes on the website or in the leaflet just out this week and soon to be available in various locations in Stroud: http://www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/

Homes include self-build (see photo), external and internal insulation, heat pumps, the stunning house at 18 The Hill, co-housing, green roofs, PV and Solar thermnal, biomass boiler and much more.....

Don't forget - also at Festival of Nature on the weekend before ie  8th September there will be eco-renovation supplier stalls.

See films of previous events at: http://stroudcommunity.tv/tag/open-homes/

Stroud Festival of Nature 2012: Eco-renovation Open Homes are part of it

The fifth annual Stroud Festival of Nature takes place on Saturday 8 September from 11am until 6pm in the beautiful grounds of Stratford Park, Stroud. It remains just one of two festival’s of nature in the UK and attracts visitors in excess of 2,500.

This is a free event where the public can not only learn about what is happening in the countryside around them, but also engage in family friendly nature based activities. Stratford Park provides a wonderful setting for the event. As well as exploring the stalls and taking part in treasure hunts, crafts, art, etc, visitors are encouraged to bring picnics, relax on the lawns beneath the trees and explore the park’s arboretum, woodland and wilder areas.

This year over forty organisations, groups and individuals are taking part in the festival, the highest number since the festival began. There will also be a number of organisations and businesses promoting sustainable energy as part of Transition Stroud's Eco-Renovation Open Homes....a project I started and have supported the last 5 years.

The weekend after the Festival of Nature 12 homes will open to the public to encourage folk to consider renewable energy - we are opening it the week after to give more time to go around both the Festival and the homes - see more: http://www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/

The Festival of Nature is also hosting the launch of this year’s Stroud Walking Festival, which then continues for the next three weeks.

Visit:
www.stroudnature.co.uk
www.facebook.com/Stroudnature

Ivy clad buildings are green!

I came across this from a Green colleague recently....most interesting.....English Heritage commissioned a team of Oxford University academics to research the likely effects of ivy on historic buildings.  In the three-year project, Oxford researchers analysed the effects of ivy growing on buildings in five different parts of England and discovered that the plant plays a protective role.  They found that an ivy canopy was like a thermal shield, combating the extremes of temperature which often cause
walls to crack.

They found that ivy acted as a thermal blanket, warming up walls by an average of 15 per cent in cold weather and cooling the surface temperature of the wall in hot weather by an average of 36 per cent.  The ivy was also found to absorb some of the harmful pollutants in the atmosphere.  Walls where ivy was growing were less prone to the damaging effects of freezing temperatures, temperature fluctuations, pollution and salts than exposed walls without ivy.


However while the findings suggest that ivy has protective qualities for buildings that are intact, they also showed that where walls are already damaged ivy rapidly finds its way into existing cracks and holes in walls.  See report at: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/buildings/building-materials/ivy-can-protect-walls/

Winterfest film and what Transition Stroud is about

Here's a video by Eric Wilkinson with editing by me - it celebrates Transition Stroud and related projects. Winterfest was a day of stalls, bicycle servicing, storytelling and entertainment in an empty shop on Saturday 3rd November in Stroud. This film has short interviews with people involved in the projects and gives a flavour of what Transition Stroud is about.

Discounted energy advice for householders

The Severn Wye Energy Agency, a non-profit company and registered educational charity has managed several projects on behalf of the 6 Local Authorities throughout Gloucestershire, including the Gloucestershire Warm and Well scheme that is a heating and home insulation grant scheme that has improved the energy efficiency of over 34,000 homes since the scheme began in 2001. They have a pretty good track record, so it is good news to hear that Stroud District Council have provided funding so they can offer detailed home energy audits to householders in the Stroud area at a discounted price.

Below is some information from them about what is included in the survey - this is very different from some of those so-called ‘get rich quick’ companies who do not have the interest of the client or their property in mind. You can see some of their work at: www.target2050.org.uk Click read more to see more.

Big energy company lobbying puts nail in coffin for Feed In Tariff?

Stroud District Green Party has accused the coalition government of killing off the jobs-rich solar industry with its announcement last week that the feed-in tariff for solar-generated electricity would be slashed by 50% next year. You can see our press release below - you can also hear that I was and am still angry. I am also angry at the nonsense on Panorama about rising energy prices - see a good article here that puts folk straight.

Anyway the changes to the tariff mean that the video I made of a workshop on the Feed In Tariff as part of the Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend organised by Transition Stroud will be very soon out of date! Catch it before it is: http://youtu.be/3PQVZw6Qp4o Here's the press release that went out at the end of last week - since then Green MEP Jean Lambert has referred the matter to the EU Commission as it impacts on our ability to meet targets re CO2 - see here:

"I fail to understand why the government would want to stifle an industry that has been so successful," said District Cllr Simon Pickering (Green, Slade), who works for Stroud-based green energy company Ecotricity.

"The move to slash tariffs will kill off a major growth industry and put thousands of jobs at risk - including many here in Stroud - and this flies in the face of the government's claims to want to promote private-sector jobs to make up for the cuts it is making to the public sector."

His colleague, District Cllr Philip Booth (Green, Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe), who has for the last two years been helping to develop an Energy Strategy for Stroud District Council's own housing stock, added: "This is a bitter blow. To slash feed-in tariffs in this way is punishing success. How on earth can the solar industry that employs over 20,000 people plan for a future if the rug keeps getting pulled from underneath them? The speed and scale of this cut is wholly unacceptable. Why not a gradual approach? We had been hoping to massively develop solar locally to offset some of the savage government cuts to councils, to cut our carbon footprint, cut fuel poverty and create local jobs. Now this will need rethinking. This government's claims to want to be the greenest are a complete sham."

The government plans are to reduce payments for domestic-size schemes from up to 43.3p per unit to 21p for sites of 4kW or below, with installations completed after the consultation ends on 12 December 2011 set to receive the new lower rate from 1st April 2012.

The Green Party believes the timing of the decision is particularly damaging as it wasn't supposed to happen until April, yet the government has chosen to bring it forward and cause massive chaos, just as it did with the solar installations greater than 50kw back in March.

Note for editors: The feed-in tariff scheme was introduced in April 2010 and has seen over 80,000 solar installations, the creation of more than 22,000 jobs and almost 4,000 new businesses.

See Guardian article by Caroline Lucas here: 'Solar has been too successful - that's why tariffs were cut.' In it she writes: "The feed-in tariff, a mechanism designed to support and stimulate the solar industry with clear points for "degression" as costs of installing and running the technology fall, has been highly successful in allowing homeowners, community groups, local authorities, and businesses to realise the benefits of solar....It has always been accepted that the tariff would need to be revised in line with falling installation costs, but the government's failure to take a more gradual approach to cutting the rates, to enable people and organisations to plan ahead and adapt accordingly, risks reversing the achievements of this burgeoning industry.....The timing of the decision itself suggests a worrying level of disorder behind the scenes. We know that this reduction wasn't supposed to happen until April, yet the government chose to bring it forward - causing great upheaval, just as it did with the solar installations greater than 50kw earlier this year."

In Business Green an article adds: "The Government’s arguments for the FiT cuts are so easily countered that there must be another reason for the government’s desire to push through cuts to incentives that are so deep and (more importantly) so swift that they will force many firms to the wall. The government’s own impact assessment shows the impact on energy bills of delaying the proposed cuts until April would equate to an increase in annual average energy bills of about £1 a year by 2020 - or to put it another way tuppence a week. Here is one theory. It is well known that there is a battle going on in the heart of government over the scale and ambition of environmental policies and the cost versus the benefits of taking urgent action to address climate change.....According to the parliamentary rumour mill, there is an increasingly tense battle behind the scenes between those who think decentralised energy such as solar should play a key role going forward, and those who believe micro-generation will always be too expensive and it is more sensible to focus the UK’s efforts on large scale centralised low carbon projects. Unsurprisingly, the Big Six energy companies are lobbying hard in favour of this centralised approach, which would allow them to maintain their dominance over the market and head off the risk of millions of homes installing technologies that could slash demand for energy by anywhere between 30 and 70 per cent."

Interestingly at a Green Party meeting this week we had a discussion about the Feed In Tariff and I was pleased to hear that while the cuts have thrown large parts of the industry into a spin - and indeed broken the trust of many regarding any future deals - there are some solar companies responding to the changes with gusto - cutting prices by buying in bulk to still make it viable and worthwhile. We will have to see how it works but as I said earlier this is just not the way to make changes.

"Meet the Installer" event in Forest Green

I recently uploaded the last of the Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend videos - see here - they include one re feed-in-tariffs, one on internal insulation and another on green roofs. Well now there is an opportunity to meet local installers if you missed them at the Open Homes weekend. You can drop in any time on Thursday.

Do you want to know about planning permission for renewable energy installations, how disruptive external wall insulation may be or simply how much it will cost to implement energy saving measures in your business?

Go along to SWEA's ‘Meet the Installer’ events on Thursday next week to find out what you want to know about:
·         Insulation, including solid wall insulation (ideal for older buildings);
·         Heating systems, efficient controls and renewable energy alternatives including solar water heating;
·         Renewable electricity generating technologies including PV;
·         Renewable heating systems such as biomass and heat pumps.

Click read more to see more.

Stroud's eco-homes event videos

"Stroud's Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend: An Introduction" is my latest and last in the series of this years' videos of the Open Homes event. See links below for the others. Do get in touch if you are interested in helping organise an event next year or comments re the videos.



Previous videos re Stroud's Open Homes:

A look at internal insulation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5zKl03kZDc

Green Roof workshop:
http://youtu.be/f8K9POATRR4

A collection of lower cost energy saving ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwmED2EVRkE

Feed In Tariff workshop:
http://youtu.be/3PQVZw6Qp4o

Last year's event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObXbgMlwuyw

See details of courses:
http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2011/09/open-homes-free-courses-in-energy.html

Transition Stroud AGM

A couple of weeks ago we had our Transition Stroud AGM and it was great to hear about all the progress - and some great cakes to eat!! I've played a role in developing a number of the projects like this years' first Stroud Potato Day and the Edible Open Gardens project which saw workshops and 37 open gardens - plus the fourth Eco-Renovation Open Homes this September and getting Energy Monitors into Glos libraries. Stroud Pound has also been making it's mark and for the first time we have a Development Worker two days a week developing Transition and the StroudCo Food Hub - see more about that exciting project here. See more at:
http://www.transitionstroud.org/

It was good to read The Independent and their good article about why the Transition movement is so important. See here or click read more to see it.

Video of Feed In Tariffs workshop

Highlights of a workshop on the Feed In Tariff as part of the Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend organised by Transition Stroud. Paul Sheriden talks through some of the key aspects relating to PV. Thanks to Claire for videoing - I struggled a bit to put together as it is hard cutting an hours workshop down to 15 minutes.

Transition Network newsletter is out

The October issue of the Transition Network newsletter is out - see it here:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-10-06/october-2011-transition-network-newsletter

It is the newsletter's third birthday and features a number of videos that I have put together re the Edible Open Gardens and Eco-Renovation Open Homes event. The newsletter is as always full of inspiring events and projects from around the world - well worth a look.

Stroud Mayor at Festival of Nature which included renewable installers fair

Free energy conservation course

The first of four free workshops is next week - see details here - it will be on Energy Conservation on Tuesday 4th October 7pm to 9pm. The session will focus energy conservation and looks at the range of retrofit insulation and draught proofing options that can help to reduce the energy demand of your home.  The session will cover cavity wall and loft insulation, insulating solid walls (internally and externally), insulating solid and suspended floors, as well sloping ceilings and roofs.  Costs and DIY potential included. Tutor:  Dave Judd. To book the free place ring Stroud College 01453 761126  (course X2HN-AUAST). See our films re Stroud Eco-Renovation Open Homes here.

Grand Designs Live in Birmingham

Last night as noted in the last blog it was Full Council and more of that in a while but wanted to plug Grand Designs Live which is returning to Birmingham for its 6th year. The show is running from the 7th-9th October and is set to be bigger and better than ever with over 500 exhibitors and workshops and talks. 

As a green blogger and organiser of the Eco-Renovation open Homes event I have been invited to the press opening - sadly work and family commitments mean I can't go - a great pity indeed as by all accounts it is a good place to get ideas - indeed buzzing with them - although there also looks set to be some very ungreen ideas and evermore consumerism...if you go I am sure it is possible to search out the greener options...

One feature of interest is ‘Kevin’s Green Heroes’ - Kevin McCloud, who was in Stroud last night at the Ecotricity event, celebrating refurbishment, reclamation and new projects in Stroud....anyhow Kevin is still moving ahead the exciting project at the Cashes Green Hospital site. He also helped launch the Eco-Renovation Open Homes event (see left) last year and opened the Hamwell Leaze Boardwalk - this is still underused and too little known about - go and see it and walk it!!! See my brief film of opening here. Anyhow for the second year at Grand Designs Kevin is celebrating green design hereos: "a showcase and launch pad for a host of new products, eco-products and technologies, that aim to improve housing and our way of living in future, ensuring government home efficiency targets are met. This year’s pick includes flat pack chairs held together by recycled elastic bands and home accessories made from recycled car tyres." 

One item that took my interest was 'Resilica' - a worktop and surface material which is hand made in the UK from 100% recycled glass waste - produced using solvent free resin. The water used in the manufacturing process is recycled where possible with the process itself a ‘cold’ one, with minimal imbued energy. Every piece of Resilica is cast to order to minimize manufacturing waste and is manufactured entirely and exclusively in its UK factory thus minimising the carbon footprint.

See more at: http://www.granddesignslive.com/

Video: a look at internal insulation

Here's another video from our Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend, this time looking at internal insulation. It is a great introduction if any of you folk are thinking about embarking on this:

Video: random energy saving ideas from the Open Homes weekend

A collection of lower cost energy saving ideas from Stroud's Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend organised by Transition Stroud. Here's my latest video picking up some of the ideas from the weekend:

Fourth Eco-Renovation Open Homes success

Workshop places still available

Hundreds of people visited the 21 homes to see renewables and energy efficiency measures plus the installers fair which was part of the Festival of Nature in Stratford Park. Helen Royall did the vast bulk of the organising this year - huge thanks to her and particularly the homeowners who so generously opened their homes to the public for free. My role this year was smaller but I have enjoyed helping making it happen.

Photos: Looking at solar technology in loft in Stonehouse with Paul Sheridan and learning about Green Roofs with Katherine Kearns in Forest Green, Nailsworth.

These weekends are such a great opportunity for people to talk to local home-owners who have actually taken the steps to add renewable energy. The feedback is always very wonderful. We also this year had some homes which looked at low cost energy efficiency measures that people can take and I hope to produce a couple of videos to share more in the coming weeks. It is great to see that some things we can do are very easy and inexpensive. We also had workshops on feed-in tariffs, green roofs and LED lighting.

We still have some free workshop places which we are putting on in partnership with Stroud College and Wood U Waste. They include getting the best energy deals (21st Sept), insulation (4th Oct), heating options (2nd Nov) and renewable energy (4th Dec). Book 01453 761126 and details from www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/

Meanwhile it is great to see other local Open Homes events taking off over the same weekend:
Cheltenham – for more details click here
Bishops Cleeve – for more details click here
The Forest of Dean and Newent – for more details click here 

Open Homes: free courses in energy efficiency in Stroud

On the weekend of 10th and 11th September will be the 4th Eco-renovation Open Homes which I am helping organise. As I've reported before over 20 homes will be opening their doors to welcome members of the public who want to add renewables and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. This year we will have a wide range of different measures including wood pellet boilers, green roofs, PV, LED lighting, solar thermal and both internal and external insulation.

The event includes a fair in Stratford Park on the Saturday where, along with the Festival of Nature, there will be a number of renewable energy installers. There is also a minibus tour (bookings cost £5, email Helen on helenroyall(at)lineone.net), a guided walk on the Saturday (bookings cost £3.50, phone Debbie on 01453 756955).

The event is run by volunteers and there is free entry to the homes and the fair - plus we have free workshops over the weekend on green roofs, feed-in tariffs and LED lighting.  More about the weekend at: www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/

Plus we have a series of free Autumn workshops. Transition Stroud in partnership with Wood U Waste and Stroud College have established the free workshops at Stroud College:

·       How to minimise your current energy costs
Wednesday 21st September 7pm to 9pm

·       How to conserve energy – all the options
Tuesday 4th October 7pm to 9pm

·       Energy Efficient Heating  all the options
 Wednesday 2nd November 7pm to 9pm

·       Renewable Energy: Heat and Power options
Thursday 1st December 7pm to 9pm

Click on Read More below to see full details. To book one or more lectures ring Stroud College 01453 761126. For more information contact Dave Judd: energytransitions@hotmail.co.uk

Please look at the website at www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/ and we are on Facebook.

Eco-Renovation Open Homes coming soon

We've just had our latest leaflet printed and it will be going out across Stroud. See video of last years event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObXbgMlwuyw

You can see about this years 20 plus homes, eco-fair and workshops at: http://www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/

The weekend 10th/11th September in Stroud is looking set to be lots of fun with other festivals also going on incl walking, Nature, food and drink and the Fringe. Anyhow we are now putting out various press releases for the weekend. Here's one of the quotes followed by some useful articles re feed in tariffs etc:

Philip Booth, who initiated the Eco-Renovation Open Homes project three years ago and has helped organise this fourth event, commented: "This is the fourth year Transition Stroud have organised this event and there is ever more people interested in eco-renovating their homes. This weekend is a chance for people to visit local home-owners and learn from their successes and mistakes. It is about both tackling the crazy rising fuel prices and climate change. We are, as ever, hugely grateful to the home owners who all share their knowledge and passions voluntarily. We also have a series of workshops including on the new feed in tariffs, LED lighting, renewables, green roofs and getting the best deals from your energy company."

Some useful articles:

DECC grants incl solar thermal £300, air source heat pump £850, Biomass boiler £950: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn11_064/pn11_064.aspx#

More than half of the coverage of renewable energy solutions in the mainstream British press is negative:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/aug/05/uk-newspapers-renewables

Households looking to install renewable heating systems are now eligible for up to £1,250 from the government:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14358659

"A 20%-25% collapse in the price of rooftop solar power units in recent months has turned the government's feed-in tariff scheme into one of the most lucrative financial propositions for households with the right sort of property":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jul/22/solar-power-installation-homeowners

North Kestevan and Epping Forest councils are building straw homes:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/26/straw-council-houses-fuel-efficiency

Thermilate: paint that insulates - or does it?

So what is this Thermilate paint that claims to insulate? Well I've struggled to find very much other than what the manufacturer says and the testimonials they have on their website. However they claim Coca Cola, IKEA, the NHS, MoD and more use the product. See more on their website here. I have to say the website is not great to navigate....

However it does seem this product is worth a look? You basically add it to your paint and then put on two coats - possibly with a top coat of just paint. It works by creating a thermal barrier which prevents heat loss when used internally in cold countries and prevents heat gain through walls and ceilings in hot countries when used externally. However it uses nano technology - something I am slightly wary of as there seems so little research into the effects on the environment and people using these products.

Anyhow I received a comment from a Whiteshill resident re the use of Thermilate and they say that they believe it has cut their heating bills. Is it worth the £20 or so per room? Well if it cuts energy use by even a small amount it could be? A local energy expert wrote: "On the thermalite paint... it may be better than nothing but would not be as good as insulation." If you know more please let me know - I would be very interested.

Lastly we are gearing up to this September's Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend on 10th/11th September - more info coming soon but see more about what we have to offer at: http://www.stroudopenhomes.org.uk/