Exeter Community Energy launches “Healthy Homes”, Trews Weir hydroelectric study, and its £4,000 Community Fund

Exeter Community Energy has launched its Healthy Homes for Wellbeing project this autumn, an initiative to assist local people living in cold, damp unhealthy homes who are experiencing fuel poverty and poor health to make their homes warmer and healthier.

ECOE energy advisors will visit people in their homes and conduct a free energy assessment to provide energy advice that helps them to better heat their homes.

This will include installing low cost energy saving measures like LED lights and draught proofing, help with switching energy suppliers, signing up households for the priority register and checking that all benefits are being received. They will also provide information about any funding available for more expensive energy saving measures.

Gill Wyatt, Executive Chair of Exeter Community Energy said: “This is important work and we’re really pleased to be able to start Healthy Homes for Wellbeing. Fuel poverty, ill-health and cold damp homes are all interrelated and we’d like to help households improve the energy efficiency of their homes, reduce the cost of their energy and receive the benefits they are entitled to, so that they can afford to heat their homes. Community, health and care frontline workers will refer households to Exeter Community Energy who will then make the home visits.

Extending its community energy focus, Exeter Community Energy has also launched its Community Fund this autumn making over £4,000 available to local community groups for projects that help to save energy and alleviate fuel poverty. The money has come from income from Exeter Community Energy’s very successful eight solar rooftop projects combined with donations by members from the 5% return on their investment received this year.

Peter Bowers, Treasurer of Exeter Community Energy said: “I am delighted that Exeter Community Energy’s success has enabled us to launch our Community Fund, making over £4,000 available to local community groups for projects”.

In addition Exeter Community Energy has secured funding to investigate a hydroelectric project at Trews Weir on the River Exe. Exeter Community Energy and Exeter City Council are excited about the possibility of it helping to power the city. The scheme would also have an Education and Interpretation Centre about Exeter and its energy use.

In deciding to partner with Exeter Community Energy on this project, Exeter City Councillors and officers were attracted by the ‘added-value’ that community-owned energy projects bring by way of social value and impact. City Councillors have given the green light to start investigating the viability of the community owned project, starting with the feasibility study, which is currently underway.

Hertha Taverner-Wood, Director of Exeter Community Energy said: “Its a long path ahead of us, but if the business model works and we are able to obtain a license from the Environment Agency, which in part will involve finding ways of listening to river users concerns about a hydro-electric project and addressing them, then this exciting project could become another community owned energy project in Exeter.”

Exeter Community Energy raised £390,000 in a share offer in November 2015 and has solar electric installations at: