Community Energy Warwickshire has allocated £5,000 for grants to be administered by the Heart of England Community Foundation. The following successful applications have been funded to date.

Coleshill Community Partnership (£978.53)

The project provides a monthly energy drop-in session at the Partnership’s ‘Hub’ where people can get advice on ways to improve energy efficient and reduce energy use. The ‘Hub’ is located in the centre of town and already provides advice on a wide range of other issues, including how to save money on energy bills through switching suppliers. All of its volunteers and staff have been trained by North Warwickshire Citizens Advice on Energy Best Deal. The grant enables the Partnership to offer an energy specific drop-in session once a month on the specific topic of reducing energy use and becoming more energy efficient.

The project expects to work with 18 clients over the course of a year, of whom 10 will have reduced their energy usage, 18 of them will have a better knowledge of their energy usage and 8 of them will have a better energy efficient home.

Coventry & Warwickshire Media Community Ltd (£1,000.00)

The organisation provides media training and work experience for unemployed young people in Coventry. The project was to commission an energy assessment of Radio Plus’s 8,000 square foot building.

This will involve an inspection, survey and analysis of the building and its mechanical and electrical systems, providing information about the performance of the building and its plant and equipment – the building fabric, ventilation, hot water systems, controls, lighting, equipment, renewable and low/zero carbon technologies. It will also review current energy management practices including the usage of building log books, maintenance records, staff and tenant engagement, compliance with legislation, energy metering monitoring and targeting and energy reduction initiatives.

Among the benefits of the energy assessment will be

• an action plan of short, medium and longer term investments in the building to reduce energy consumption and costs
• data and information to back up investment decisions and further potential funding applications
• move spending from heating and energy to service provision to the community
• show existing and potential investors and donors that Radio Plus is striving to minimise its carbon footprint and being responsible and sustainable.

Old Saltleians RFC Ltd (£682.87)

The organisation aims to promote the participation in and enjoyment of sport in general and Rugby Football in particular, and to introduce children and young people to the ethos and fun of playing team sports. It runs a number of different sporting and physical activties.

The proposal is to add loft insulation to the main clubroom to a depth of 100 mm minimum because a recent online survey of members and visitors highlighted the inadequate heating in the main clubroom, and an investigation found the level of insulating material was well below recommended levels. The grant would pay for materials; the club would organise the work and carry it out with volunteers.

Benefits would include people in the clubroom experiencing a warmer, more comfortable environment, and energy costs being kept to a minimum by retaining more heat without increasing electricity consumption.

Salford Priors Memorial Hall (£400.00)

The Memorial Hall is a community building which provides facilities for local groups and clubs.

The grant was requested to continue a project to improve the energy efficiency of the building by updating the roof insulation in an extension to the Hall. The heating system had just been updated by removing old inefficient electric storage heaters and replacing them with a modern gas fired heating system with thermostatic control. But the current roof insulation in the extension is only basic and would benefit from being updated to current standards.

Stretton-on-Fosse Village Hall (£1,000.00)

Stretton-on-Fosse Village Hall is used by members of the community for rental and for the celebration of events eg Mayday each year. It is the focal point for this rural community, especially as there are now only two buses per week to get to a local town, with a regular Parent & Toddler group, dance class, film group, and Silver Club.

Stretton’s village hall is now over 21 yrs old. The windows in the small committee room attached to the hall have recently been replaced, and a grant was requested towards the costs of replacing the windows in the main body of the hall and the toilet facilities to bring these up to the same standard. (Informally, users of the hall – particularly for more sedentary activities like watching films – have said that they feel draughts from the windows.) Replacing these windows would also improve the security of the hall as some of the windows do not shut efficiently due to their age.

The proposal was to replace the windows, including French Windows, to improve the energy efficiency of the hall and thereby reduce electricity usage and costs. The work would be part of an ongoing commitment towards becoming more environmentally sustainable which began 3 years ago with the installation of Solar PV panels.