December newsletter

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Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat... worried about your energy spend? We've got something for that. First things first, we thought it was high time we showed you some of the tech behind our community energy projects while also giving you the insider knowledge to decipher the jargon. This month, in our new ‘tech spot’, we’re showing you just what part heat pumps have to play in the climate crisis. Pump up the volume As more and more councils declare climate emergencies, we need to think about what measures we can take to help hit zero carbon – in businesses and homes. If you heat your home using a gas boiler you will emit, on average, a whopping 3.5 tonnes of carbon per annum! You will also send particulate matter and carbon monoxide into your local atmosphere. Even if your home is electrically heated, you will have similar carbon emissions, as 1 kWh of heat needs 1kWh of electricity. So, what is the alternative? Heat pumps are the environmental solution to this issue (and incidentally a kingpin in our Islington Sea Cadets project). They use electricity to heat your home, but much more efficiently than traditional storage heaters. In fact, they are 325-400% efficient. This means that they produce up to 4 times fewer emissions than gas or storage heaters and they are cheaper to run. Switch to a green tariff and you can even heat your home carbon neutrally. Savings and subsidies The good news is large Government subsidies are currently available until April 2021 to encourage the uptake of heat pumps – the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). Householders can earn up to £12,500 in subsidies over seven years to finance their heat pump install. Not bad given that heat pumps cost between £11-16k, depending on the complexity, product and size of the home. Energy savings will depend on your current heating type and energy tariff, but heat pumps should be around a third of the cost to run of storage heaters and will save up to 20% compared to gas. Want to find out more about heat pumps and other energy-saving technologies? Just email toby@crewenergy.london. Take me to Toby We are excited and proud to announce that a CREW member has been appointed as a Community Energy London Director for the very first time! Congratulations to Jamie Baxter, who will be working alongside community energy groups from across the capital to see how we can join forces and work together in the new year. Watch this space and come along to the monthly CEL meetings to get chatting! The latest generation of CREW energy advisors   Last month we announced our UKPN Power Partners funding for 22 energy cafes across Lambeth, Merton and Wandsworth throughout winter 2019/2020. This funding covers training of our new energy advisors, run by our very own Alex Hartley, SELCE/CREW crossover member and all-round community energy guru. Over this intensive training weekend, Alex trained eight eager energy advisors – including some students from Bristol and Queen Mary universities and UCL – in how to provide energy advice. We asked Peter, one of our new energy champions to gives us a full run-down of the weekend. "Alex delivered the course in a fun and engaging way meaning that all the volunteers came away armed with information and tools to really make a difference in the community. It was particularly interesting learning some key facts about energy usage in the UK, areas where savings can be made and the importance of making a property energy efficient. This really opened our minds to what is possible!"   Read more of the energy champion chronicles here To keep up to date with our energy cafe fixtures, or to see how our energy advisors are getting on, follow us on social media using the icons above. For now, here are our December dates! That's all for this month! But if you're interested in more CREW news...   Sign up to the mailing list