 If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that CREW Energy started out in a pub in Wandsworth in 2014. Just a bunch of south west Londoners with a pint and a dream!
Back then, we were a fully volunteer-led community benefit society called Community Renewable Energy Wandsworth. Ten years later, while much of our team is paid for their energy advice, consultancy, project management and more, we're still very much powered by a team of seven volunteer directors: Amy, Armelle, Leonie, Sobia, Steve, Toby and Yunus! This International Volunteer Day, we caught up with Yunus to hear how he got into volunteering with CREW and the value it has brought him over the years.
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 In winter 2024, energy prices are still 50% higher than pre-crisis levels and people are struggling. The impact of January’s energy price cap means that 6.1 million UK households will be in fuel poverty by early 2025.
This Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, we wanted to take a closer look at what fuel poverty action means to us and how we're helping people in south west London stay warm, safe and healthy in their homes.  Last Friday we had the privilege of attending the Community Energy Awards 2024, hosted at M Shed in the lovely Bristol!
We were very lucky to have been shortlisted for the Fuel Poverty Action Award, which celebrates ‘the remarkable contributions of community energy organisations in addressing the multifaceted challenges of fuel poverty and energy efficiency in England.’  Throughout the winter, our SWLEAP team will be distributing warm homes packs in Wandsworth and Richmond, saving the average home around £200 a year on their energy bills.
The scheme has been funded by Wandsworth and Richmond Councils for the second year running. This year kicked off with launch events held in both boroughs on 30th October and 6th November respectively, where we distributed 198 packs in total to local residents!  Now that the clocks have gone back, our homes may start to get a little chillier earlier in the day. To stay warm and well, we all know we'll need to turn the heating on sooner or later. But the good news is, there are ways you can make your heating system more efficient, so that it is on for less time, saving you money on your bills!
Check out our top tips to help make your heating more than 20% more effective. Saving you money and reducing the amount of gas and carbon you use!  The year is 2040. Growing your own veg, active travel, renewable energy, more public benches than you can shake a stick at... What's your dream scenario?
Toby joined Transition Town Tooting's 'Town Anywhere' event this week, where he time travelled to a futuristic town in the year 2040 to create the blueprint of our dreams. In this futuristic town called 'Anywhere', one thing's for certain: the people value community.  Earlier this week, we hosted our 'Take control of your energy for good' webinar to share energy advice and tips to help you make your home and business more energy efficient.
In case you missed it, CREW directors Armelle, Toby and Steve shared lots of useful information on energy saving and renewable tech. You'll find links to some of this below, along with the slides, which give some representative examples of cost, savings and payback for your home.  We were delighted to be joined by Leah Robson, director of Your Energy Your Way, at our recent Sustainable You event in partnership with Climate Action Wandsworth.
There, she presented on domestic heat pumps and getting more women installers into the workforce. In a recent interview with Independent, she addresses even more common questions. Here are some key takeaways:
You can read the full article here: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/heat-pump-installation-energy-home-b2605577.html
We recently launched the first phase in an exciting new project with Enable Parks and Wandsworth Council to repower Battersea Park's Victorian waterfalls, known as the Cascades, with clean energy
 Head still spinning from last week's energy price cap news? Whether you were already struggling with utility bills or energy debt or you're worried what this might mean for you, we know it's a lot right now. Information, changes, bill switching. It's overwhelming if you don't know where to start.
If you want to learn more about what's happening right now, Citizens Advice, Martin Lewis and Energy UK have some useful, accessible information. But if you need immediate support with your utility bills, our energy advisors are here to help. We can offer personalised advice that's best suited to you and your home, so you know exactly what you can do to improve your situation. We'll help you:
If you're eligible, we can even provide fuel vouchers and free energy saving devices, or come to your home and help you make changes there and then. Contact our SWLEAP team for free, impartial advice and support today: ☎️ 0800 086 2706 📧 [email protected] |
