When it comes to any kind of community-based project, keeping track of what’s going on can very quickly become virtually impossible – unless you write things down. Good record keeping plays a big part in making sure everything runs smoothly, and it’s almost guaranteed to be a requirement for any [...]
No matter how well any community has done with its energy project, there are always going to be times when a bit of support can be important. Community energy networks provide a mutual self-help forum for all the groups in the local area involved in energy related projects and as [...]
Working together as a group to reduce your collective carbon footprint can be a great way for a whole community to start to address issues of climate change and energy use. With the rise of online carbon calculators – and some of these are now aimed at communities rather than [...]
Community events offer a golden opportunity for showcasing energy efficiency. Whether it’s a mid-summer barbecue, or a Christmas Fair, there are plenty of chances to get the energy message across – and many ways to do it. Unfortunately, although they make a big contribution to energy savings, most of the [...]
Whether you’re looking to get your message across to a wider audience, encourage support for your own project or simply want to promote better energy awareness in general, running an energy fair has a lot to offer. Although it might seem a daunting prospect at first, with a little thought, [...]
Setting up an energy forum is a good way to stimulate informed and constructive debate about how issues of energy efficiency and sustainability impact the local community and how they can be addressed at the local level. The key to establishing an effective forum lies in gathering together the right [...]
There’s probably few better ways of promoting the benefits of energy saving to the widest number of people than appointing local energy champions – project ambassadors to help push the energy agenda in the community. It can be a very rewarding role - so what’s involved and what are the [...]
Community gardens make an ideal place to showcase energy efficient technologies, tips and tricks, allowing them to play both an educational and an inspiration role and encouraging everyone involved to take some of the ideas home with them. Energy in the Garden Creating energy efficient gardens inevitably begins with addressing [...]
Although some purpose built venues have been constructed with high standards of insulation and energy savings in mind, many community buildings are far from energy efficient – often being cold, draughty and difficult to keep warm. Old pre-fabricated designs, ex-church halls and disused schools, for instance, can present some challenges [...]
For any community project, providing recognisable benefits has to be the single most important yardstick against which to judge its success. When it comes to energy efficiency, the most obvious of those surely has to be in terms of reduced energy use and as a result, lower bills. In this [...]
