At this online Connect (October 21) we heard from Tara Bowers about the work of Exeter Community Energy and their experiences of working in the community to reduce energy use, making homes, businesses and other places more energy efficient. Tara also shared useful information about how to access support in this area, and about the kind of quick wins we could all introduce at home to reduce our energy use straight away. A number one tip was to check if your freezer needed defrosting as soon as possible! A new initiative to train Energy Champions in Exeter was also presented and discussed.
It was also fascinating to learn about the experiences of Dr Juliette Jackson of Seadream Education on approaching the topic of energy efficiency with young people in schools and making information about it more accessible.
We are very grateful for the interesting and productive discussion amongst attendees that followed their presentations, considering the question; “How can we as a city encourage more energy champions within communities, businesses and organisations to consider quick wins to reduce energy consumption in our communities, businesses and organisations?”
We will be taking some time with Exeter Community Energy to consider what we can learn from the discussion. We are hopeful that this will have provoked thought around this subject in attendees own settings, whether at home, work, or within community groups or buildings
Some funding was also mentioned during the session, the links to more information are below.
Helpful links:
Energy Champions:
- Exeter Community Energy ‘Energy Champions’ initiative: Become a Community Energy Champion with support from Exeter Community Energy – ECOE
Funding: