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Hawkesbury Sustainable Energy Action Group
Minutes of Meeting held 26 Feb at The Beaufort
Present: Angelo Sauro (Chair)
Pete Salenieks
Sue Hope
Jane Robertson
Jes Rutter
Ralph Pidsley
Minutes copied to: all present, other group members, Hawkesbury Vision Project
Items discussed and actions agreed:
RP has made contact with the Chair of the PTA, who has agreed to put forward the suggestion of a renewable energy generation scheme to power the pool heater. Action RP to feedback to the next meeting
JR has undertaken an analysis of utilities bills over the last 4 years (see separate file). He recommended that meter readings (electric, oil and water) are taken at least every month to obtain more accurate information in future. Action AS to raise with Hall Committee
Graham Eastwick from Encraft visited the Village Hall on 12 Feb to assess the options for energy saving and renewable energy supplies including photovoltaic cells, heat pumps and insulation. His report is now available on the Village Hall website( http://www.village-hall.org/encraft_energy_report.html).
PS is continuing research into domestic insulation and grant funding for a news article. He is aiming for publication in the April edition of the Parish Magazine.
RP and SH reported on the recent South Gloucestershire Environment Forum. Key information from that event is the forthcoming launch (on 12 March) of “SG Futurenergy”, which will be offering grants of £500 to households planning to install some form of renewable energy supply. The South Glos Sustainability, Heritage & Environment team, who ran the event, also offers a marketing and advice service to community action groups. This may be useful when we are planning a local awareness session.
We agreed to start planning an awareness event in Hawkesbury. Possible inclusions are: display of draft plans for energy saving/renewables in the Village Hall; relevant groups such as Warm & Well, South Glos and Friends of the Earth to man information stalls; low energy light bulb giveaway and a presentation to help people approach energy saving and domestic renewable installations. The best time for this is thought to be September/October.
We discussed the merits of a project to collect data from local residents on their energy consumption levels and agreed this would provide extremely valuable information for future comparisons. JS agreed to take this forward as a possible dissertation topic for her MA students at UWE. Action JS
JR attended a conference on the 21 Century Village on 1 February. We agreed to discuss further at the next meeting.
Next meeting will take place at the Beaufort on 1 April at 7.30pm