In January 2020, Calderdale Council conducted a survey amongst the public (citizen’s panel) in Calderdale. The survey asked them about what green behaviours they adopt, as well the role they believe the council should have in addressing these.
Questions were asked about travel, food, land use & biodiversity, communities and people, buildings and technology.
Note: the survey was conducted before lockdown measures kicked in
On the 6th of March 2020, Calderdale Council employees gathered at Crow Wood Park, Sowerby Bridge and Shibden Park, Halifax to dedicate some hours to tree planting. A total of 400 trees were planted at Crow Wood Park, and 300 at Shibden Park.
The tree types were silver birch, hawthorn, oak, willow, alder, bird cherry, rowan, hazel.
We are doing some more energy saving drop-in sessions in Todmorden in early 2016.
Save the date (13th and 20th January; 11am to 1pm) and drop by to see us at Todmorden Customer First.
Look out for our new posters – are your bills this big? Big Bills Poster
CCE invites you to our first Energy Saving Drop in!Are your energy bills too high? >The Big Energy Saving Network provides specially trained advisors who can help
For most effective advice, please bring your energy bills with you!
Find out more about the Big Energy Saving Network project here.
Carr Green School Solar Panels
Carr Green Primary School in Brighouse is now saving money and providing cleaner energy after solar panels were installed at the school.
Solar panels, installed by Hub Energy, now cover the roof of the school, converting the sun’s free and clean energy into power. The panels will generate 10% of the school’s energy, saving 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
The project was managed by Calderdale Community Energy, a community benefit society whose goal is to enable low carbon and renewable energy schemes to take place in Calderdale. This was just one of a number of community and school energy projects currently underway, and the cost of the panels was covered by a loan from Calderdale Council. Surplus electricity is being sold to the national grid and the panels pay for themselves within eight years.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Skills and the Environment, Cllr Jenny Lynn, said:
“Projects like this one can bring real benefits, not only through reduced electricity costs for the school, but also by reducing CO2 emissions.
“We are working with Calderdale Community Energy to develop more projects like this one, to help schools and other businesses generate their own energy and use it efficiently.”
Jez Tweed, Project Lead From Calderdale Community Energy, said:
“Timing was everything. If we had waited until next year the project might not have been feasible, but thanks to the enterprising nature of the school we have a really good project up and running.”
The Head Teacher of Carr Green Primary School, Paul Mashinter, said:
“At Carr Green Primary we value the principles of sustainability and we have some first class facilities including a Kid’s Kitchen, an outdoor classroom and allotments. Solar Panels will provide an additional exciting educational opportunity whilst saving the school money on energy costs which can now be used in other areas.”
Calderdale Community Energy is looking for more schools to develop energy saving projects. There are many ways to save, for example, some lighting improvements can bring the same savings as solar panels. For more information about Calderdale Community Energy, visit www.calderdalecommunityenergy.org.uk. To speak to someone about the range of energy savings options available, contact Calderdale Council’s Environmental Projects team on 01422 392250.
26 – 30th October is the Big Energy Saving Week. What does this mean for us in Calderdale?
Research from the Department of Energy and Climate Change shows that one in two households could save £200 a year just by switching supplier. Adopting simple energy saving habits can save a further £200 a year.
For the 94,000 houses here in Calderdale, that works out as a whopping £18,800,000 of potential saving. That huge figure is just a small chunk of the £460 million that Calderdale as a region spends on energy each year – mostly with the national “Big Six” energy companies.
Two organisations in Calderdale are part of the 2015 Big Energy Saving Network. Calderdale Community Energy (CCE) and Calderdale Citizens’ Advice Bureaux (Calderdale CAB) have trained up Energy Champions to work with people across our region.
Anne Handley (CCE Energy Champion) said: “Energy bills are like mobile phone contracts and car insurance. Companies usually offer a “fixed price” good deal for one year and then you get moved on to a “flexible” tariff which is much worse value for money. It’s easy to forget when your deal ends. What type of meter you have and how you pay your bill also influences what your energy costs. Almost everyone I talk to could get a better deal- they just don’t know it.”
CCE and CAB are running workshops, training sessions and giving personal one-to-one advice until March next year. They aim to speak to 240 people and offer completely impartial advice – they’re just here to help people find and make real cash savings.
Alastair McGregor (Chief Executive at Calderdale CAB) said “Every day we deal with people who are struggling with money and debts. We ran this project last year and spoke to pensioners and young families who were scared to turn on their fire because of fuel costs. Getting advice and support turns this around. We’re pleased to be running this project again – we’ll be helping hundreds of households and saving thousands of pounds”.
Richard Taylor from Sowerby Bridge was one of the first people to get advice.
He said: “I thought I was on top of my energy bills. I make sure my Direct Debit isn’t going up and we’re really good at remembering to turn things off. But I don’t really look at details on the bill and I haven’t changed supplier since I moved in seven years ago. When Anne looked at my bills with me, we discovered firstly that I’ve been overcharged – my account has £474.91 of credit on it! Secondly, I could save £181 a year by switching to a new supplier. Or I could switch to a green, 100% renewable energy tariff and still save £148. I was astounded. I’m going to switch and my current supplier will have to send me a refund for the overbilling – just in time for Christmas!”
Councillor Lynn from Calderdale Council said: “Rising fuel costs are worry for many people. We’re thrilled that two projects here in Calderdale are setting out to put people back in control. In these times of austerity, two hundred pounds is a huge saving for a household. I’d encourage everyone to look at what they can save and to go along to talk to CCE and Calderdale CAB to get help if they need it”.
Councillor James Baker, Affordable Warmth Champion for Calderdale Council said “Sadly many people have to choose between heating their home, and being able to afford to eat. Switching your energy supplier is a great way for everyone to cut down their energy bills. In addition to helping people to switch energy supplier the Council is also going to be investing in a £1.2m insulation scheme to help reduce unnecessary admittance to hospital for cold released diseases, cut CO2 emissions and to ensure people can afford to heat their homes.”
You can find out more about how to understand your bills and review the market for a better deal at the Power to Switch website http://www.goenergyshopping.co.uk/en-gb/power-to-switch.
If you’d like to get advice to find savings on your energy bill, contact Anne Handley on 01422 845 388 or Calderdale Citizens Advice on 01422 842 848.
Links:
The Big Energy Saving Week website contains advice on saving and switching http://www.goenergyshopping.co.uk/en-gb/power-to-switch
Information on Calderdale Community Energy, including contact details and their plans for sessions and advice: http://www.calderdalecommunityenergy.org.uk/
Information on Calderdale Citizens Advice Bureau, including contact details and office address: http://www.calderdalecab.org.uk/
Our new website is now live and we’ll be adding lots of interesting information over the coming weeks. Please keep checking back to find out new project developments
