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Target 2050 Community

December 2011

The Target 2050 programme was developed and delivered by Severn Wye Energy Agency in partnership with Stroud District Council. It aims to provide the basis for an effective, long term targeted approach to achieving deep energy and carbon cuts across the public, domestic, business and community sectors. The Target 2050 Community Report details the method and results of our work over a 2 year period with 31 community buildings, encouraging the take up of energy retrofit measures and small-scale renewables.

Report for Reading

New EU Energy Labels - what you need to know!

December 2011

From 20th December 2011, new domestic appliances and electrical products will have to display the new energy label under EU law. The revised label is designed to emphasise the product's energy consumption and enable consumers to calculate its running costs.

The new label contains information on the appliance's noise level, drying efficiency and storage capacity. It's designed to be easy to understand, using as little language as possible. The label's new A+ ratings and discontinuation of the ratings E, F and G reflect how much the performance of appliances has improved since the introduction of the original label in the mid-1990s. And unlike the old label, retailers and manufacturers risk being fined if they display or sell an appliance without a visible label.

Severn Wye is part of a pan-European project called Come on Labels (www.come-on-labels.eu). Funded by Intelligent Energy Europe, this project involves reviewing compliance levels amongst retailers and manufacturers, and raising awareness of the new EU energy label and why it's needed.

Severn Wye Energy Agency is launching a range of marketing initiatives to increase the awareness of energy labels amongst the general public. We want to ensure consumers have enough product information to choose the most energy efficient products. As part of this work we have designed a new leaflet aimed at consumers to explain how the label works and includes a buyer's guide.

To learn more about the EU energy label or discuss the project please contact Owen Callender at Severn Wye on 01452 835060 or e-mail owen_AT_swea.co.uk. You can also download the leaflet.

If you are a retailer or manufacturer, our media and information pack may be of interest. Click here for more information >>

Target 2050 Homes

October 2011

The Target 2050 programme was developed and delivered by Severn Wye Energy Agency in partnership with Stroud District Council. It aims to provide the basis for an effective, long term targeted approach to achieving deep energy and carbon cuts across the public, domestic, business and community sectors. The Target 2050 Homes Report details the method and results of our work over a 4 year period with 248 homes to encourage the take up of energy retrofit measures and develop over 50 practical case studies.

Report for Printing
Report for Reading

Energy Neighbourhoods

October 2011

What is an energy neighbourhood? It is a group of between 5-18 households who are keen to work as a team to reduce their individual home energy consumption. All participants will be given the information and support they need to help them reduce their energy bills just by doing things differently around the home and without involving any financial investment.

From the 1st December 2012 until 31st March 2013 all participants will need to take weekly energy meter readings which will be entered into a specially developed website. This will then visually display the savings that each household is making against the same time the previous year as well as the savings of their neighbourhood. They will even be able to see how they are doing against other neighbourhoods taking part in both the UK and across Europe.

The aim of this competition is not only to help reduce carbon emissions and enable households to make savings on their energy bills but to help people understand that leading a less energy intensive lifestyle does not have to be restrictive or a trial but that it can be about making simple changes to their everyday life.

Become part of your own Energy Neighbourhood and watch your bills go down!

Interested? Then we would love to hear from you. Contact Karen Robinson for more information on our new community energy saving competition.

European Citizens Climate Cup

June 2011

The European Citizens Climate Cup is a competition for householders across Europe encouraging them to compete against each other by making significant reductions in their household energy use. By creating an Energy Savings Account, participants will be able to monitor their energy use and see their efforts to reduce energy around the home, rewarded. If you achieve the greatest energy savings in the UK, you will win the title of UK Energy Saver of the Year and a prize of up to £1,500 to spend on ways that will help you save even more energy. For more information visit our website.

Meet the Greenes

The Eco-cist

Ashden Awards 2011 - Winner

June 2011

Severn Wye wins a second Ashden Award - Severn Wye Energy Agency was among five ground-breaking initiatives from across the UK to win a 2011 Ashden Award from Grand Designs presenter, Kevin McCloud. The award includes £10,000 to be spent on expanding our sustainable energy work. Other winners were: The Centre for Alternative Technology, (Powys), Midlands Wood Fuel Ltd (Shrewsbury) and Transition Town Totnes, (Devon).

Severn Wye's award was for our programme of work in secondary schools called YEP! (Young Energy People), which builds young people's vocational skills and inspires them to become dedicated energy-savers through training and practical experience in energy management.

The overall UK Gold Award winner is Hampshire-based housing association, Radian for their outstanding achievements in retrofitting hard-to-treat homes.

See the Ashden Awards site for further details. Severn Wye previously won an Ashden Award in 2006, for its Warm & Well programme.

Severn Wye Energy Agency Ashden Award videos

(Young Energy People) 2011 winner.

Warm and Well Ashden Award 2006 winner.

Severn Wye Energy Agency Review

June 2011

NEW - we are pleased to announce the first edition of our regular newsletter Review, focusing on our practical programmes to help individuals, communities, schools and businesses cut their energy use and reduce fuel poverty in Wales and South West England.

Meeting Room Hire

September 2010+

SWEA has made its meeting rooms at the Highnam Business Centre available for hire. Both have good facilities with flexible rates.

For more information visit our contact page or get in touch with reception:

[email]Sandra [phone]01452 835060

SWEA Celebrates 10+ Years

July 2010

SWEA celebrated a milestone with a Midsummer Supper event in early July, attended by around 120 guests drawn from our many partners and associates. The big event was also the formal public launch of SWEA's photovoltaic system.

Energy Neighbourhood Project wins European Award

March 2010

In 2008, SWEA became a partner in a European initiative called the Energy Neighbourhood project. The aim of this project was to inspire and encourage communities to achieve energy savings and reduce their household energy consumption through changes in behaviour alone.

Then in March 2010 our European Energy Neighbourhood Project received the winning prize for the European Commissions' ManagEnergy Local Energy Action Award for being the best Local Energy Initiative. There were 58 case studies submitted to ManagEnergy in 2010 for assessment and as the winning initiative, the Energy Neighbourhood project will be used by the European Commission as a reference for European local authorities as an example of Best Practice.

A review of the delivery tools used to improve hard-to-treat homes

February 2010

The EEPH has now published the findings of a piece of research carried out by The Association for the Conservation of Energy into the delivery of energy efficiency improvements into hard to treat homes.

The report outlines a detailed raft of recommendations arising from the research which centre around the need to mainstream the more expensive measures that are used to treat hard to treat homes.

The report also reveals the need to place more emphasis on insulation measures and urgently address the current situation in which the fuel poor living in hard to treat homes are paying for energy efficiency schemes but are not benefiting from the most appropriate improvements to their homes.

The selected case studies of national relevance include SWEA's pioneering work with Stroud District Council, which has in turn led to selection as one of just 5 pilots of the government's Pay as You Save programme.

Download the Review as a PDF

SWEA Photovoltaics Goes Live

February 2010

After months of planning and fund-raising, Severn Wye Energy Agency's 5.9 kW solar photovoltaic array was finally commissioned on a cold, damp February afternoon. Even under these conditions, it immediately began generating around 400W of clean, green electricity - enough to run several office computers. Located on the front roofs of our leased premises, we expect the system to generate over 5,000 kWh of clean, green electricity each year. Much of this will directly offset the electricity we consume to run our offices, with the rest being exported to the local grid.

Our solar PV project was made possible thanks to funding from the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust and the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. We will be holding a launch event later during Spring 2010, so please keep an eye out for more details on this site. In the meantime, do visit our output monitoring page.

Energy Advice in the UK

February 2010

A discussion paper on the future needs and priorities of energy advice in the UK, written in October 2009, has now been published.

It is available as a downloadable PDF

Pay-As-You-Save: SWEA Awarded Partner Role

December 2009

Severn Wye Energy Agency, working with Stroud District Council, has been named as one of only five national partners for the Pay As You Save pilot scheme. This will explore new ways to finance 'whole house' energy makeovers, and has been awarded £4m funding from DECC.

For full details, see the DECC press release.

Press Releases

SWEA in the News - Mid Wales' fuel poverty fighters (Nov 2009)

Huntley wood chip fuel store opens (Aug 2007)

Launch of Gloucestershire Afforable Warmth strategy (June 2007)

SWEA launch Welsh office (June 2007)

Other Publications

40% House Feasibility report for Stroud District Council (October 2007)

Energy advice across Europe - Full report (October 2007)

Energy advice across Europe report summary (October 2007)