Cambridge Carbon Footprint

Energy in the Home

Local interest and our existing connections with a number of building professionals has enabled Cambridge Carbon Footprint to be active in the home energy field.

Carbon Conversations groups.

A good entry point for people wanting to start to reduce their whole carbon footprint. There is a session dedicated to energy in the home. There is a detailed resource lists about home energy in the main handbook and local information in the accompanying Local Resource Guide.

Low carbon network

We organise events to help group participants continue to plan and make reductions

In our 2009/10 calendar we are planning a number of home energy events, including one (‘Getting started on eco-renovation’) which is the start point for an ongoing, supported group for people planning eco-renovation. Others will be looking at SUDS, how to do the basic DIY, advice for people who are renting, plus more workshops on other themes if there is demand.

Household Energy Surveys project.

This is a new scheme for which we have just acquired funding (as you know, we ran a pilot earlier in the year). It will train volunteers to do home energy surveys which will be processed by a home energy professional. They will provide a report for the householder that the volunteer will follow-up. The scheme will also be lending out electricity energy monitors and promoting bulk purchase schemes where possible/appropriate. We will be working in specific geographical areas, but will also provide surveys to anyone wishing to have one done. The scheme will have a list of recommended installers.

House doctor, DIY service and Light Bulb Library

They are currently available to anyone who does a group and will also be available to anyone who has a survey done.

Resource lists.

We list recommended books and other routes to reliable information in the current version of the course handbook and this information will go online shortly. We are also collaborating with the City Council over the creation of a sustainable renovation guide.

Eco-renovation builders club.

Building on the Eco-renovation seminar in May 2009 in collaboration with SmartLife, we hope this will be the first step towards better training for the small builders’ workforce.

City-wide liaison

We initiated and chair a liaison group of people/organisations working to deliver energy efficiency and eco-renovation across the city, including representatives from other community groups, the construction sector, researchers, local authorities, construction training sector – this has been very fruitful in beginning to develop a co-ordinated approach and understand the different strands of action that are needed in the cambridge area.