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Local Sponsor Sought for Eco Open Homes Week

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Eco Homes Open Week is recruiting a select number of sponsors for our May 2015 event. We are looking to collaborate with inspiring locally-based businesses who share our aims and passion to make homes warmer, cheaper to heat, more energy efficient and better for our world.

We would like to work with sponsors who sell the kind of products our visitors might look to install in their own homes or who have good environmental credentials.

What's In It For You?

 

Sponsoring the Eco Open Homes event will give you access to an audience who are looking to make their homes more energy efficient and their lives more sustainable. Recent research by the Federation of Open Homes (of which we are a member) surveyed people who had visited Open Home events across the country. The results showed that:

  • 55% of visitors to events installed a device after visiting an open home
  • 73% spent up to £2999 on measures for their home following a visit.
  • 20% spent between £3000 and £34,999.
  • 78% of visitors were home owners

FInd out more, and download our Sponsor's Brochure on our website.

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Eco Open Homes Week

The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Eco Open Homes event will see more than 15 householders open their doors to 300+ visitors during May 2015. They will be showcasing a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable features in real life settings with the aim of inspiring people to improve their own homes. This will be the third annual event, but it is the first time we have accepted sponsorship and represents an opportunity to be one of the first local businesses to collaborate with us on this exciting project.

Tell More People About your Green Credentials

By sponsoring the Eco Open Homes event, we will acknowledge you through our website, leaflet, press releases and online network (300 members+) and, in some cases, offer you an opportunity to have a physical display at some of the homes taking part in the event. See our online Sponsor's Brochure for more information about different sponsorship packages.

Get in touch to discuss your options for sponsoring the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Eco Open Homes Week: caroline.harmon@mea.org.uk / 07748 508704.

£10M Urban Community Energy Fund Launches

Today is the day that CSE and community groups up and down England have been waiting for: the launch of DECC’s £10 million Urban Community Energy Fund (UCEF).

UCEF will give community groups in England the opportunity to bid for grants of up to £20,000, or loans of up to £130,000 to help kick-start their projects. Successful projects will pay back their loans, thus allowing the fund to be replenished.

The fund is being administered by a partnership between CSE and Pure Leapfrog – a charity that has supported over 100 community projects with either finance or investment readiness support. 

“This is a great step forward” said CSE’s Chief Executive, Simon Roberts. 'UCEF provides the opportunity for community groups to break through the financial barriers to developing renewable energy projects at a meaningful scale. There are still plenty of challenges for community groups to overcome, but this fund enables them to access and pay for the professional expertise they need to succeed.'

The fund was launched by Secretary of State Ed Davey at Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes, West Sussex, the roof of which bristles with solar PV, part of a project with community energy pioneers, Ovesco. He said: 'This is all about investing in renewable energy sources, creating jobs and changing the way renewable energy is developed in the UK.'

Pure Leapfrog’s Chief Executive, Robert Rabinowitz, said 'UCEF comes at a great time for the community energy sector, helping to plug a much needed gap in the project development phase.'


Community-owned solar PV array on Knowle West Media Centre, Bristol

UCEF is a counterpart to the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) launched in summer 2013. Between the two, a project anywhere in England could be eligible for finance. Large grants and loans will be available to encourage projects of scale and ambition. Grants will support projects through the more speculative, early stages of development. Subsequent loans are available for development to the stage where a project is ‘investment ready’. 

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for UCEF funding a group needs to meet certain criteria. The first of these is location: whether the project is based in an urban area, as defined by the Office of National Statistics. 

CSE have produced a map that will tell you if your project is urban or rural and, therefore, if you need to apply to the urban or rural fund.

Beyond location, there are also questions such as 'Is your community group incorporated?' that you will need to answer to find out if you're project is eligible for UCEF funding. You can download the eligibility checker.   

If you have any questions, give UCEF a call on 0800 038 6345.

For projects that appear to be eligible, it is recommended all groups contact UCEF directly, to discuss their proposals and for help producing the strongest application possible.

To contact UCEF, call 0800 038 6345 or email info@ucef.org.uk.

More information: www.cse.org.uk/news/view/1913

Renewables Future Conference

Groups may be interested in attending the Renewable Futures conference in Bath on 25 November organised by Regen SW. Community Energy representatives are invited to book at a discounted ticket of just £30 + VAT [reduced from £245 + VAT].  To register your interest please email Jodiejsawatzki@regensw.co.uk or book online here using the code ‘communitydiscount’. There will be expert talks and an exhibition of over 35 renewable energy and energy efficiency companies from across the south west for you to meet. The UCEF team will also be there to answer any questions you have.

www.renewable-futures.co.uk
 

Win a Book By Local Enviromental Author

The latest Community Climate Action Network Newsletter is out now.

It's crammed full of the latest events and news on tackling climate change in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Sign up to receive the newsletters direct to your inbox and we'll enter you into a prize draw to win one of three copies of The Astronaut, The Cake and Tomorrow by Nottinghamshire-based author Matt Sisson. This new book takes a compelling look at the environmental and financial crises we face, the connections between them, and the better word that could emerge if we find the imagination and will to bring them into being.

Already receive the newsletter by email? Ask a friend to sign up, get them to mention on the sign up form that you recommended them and we'll enter you into the prize draw too!

 

To be eligible for the prize the winners must be able to provide a Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire postal address to send the book to. The draw will close on Sunday 28th December at midnight.

Derbyshire Climate Change Charter open for public consultation

Derbyshire County Council would like to hear your views and comments on thier Climate Change Charter which sets out how the council and partners will tackle climate change up to 2019 and sets out ambitions based on six key priority areas.

Have your say before the closing date of 5th November.

 

 

The Amber and Derwent Valley Community Energy Team

The Amber and Derwent Valley Community Energy team, formed by Transition Belper, is working towards a community-owned hydro project on the Derwent at Ambergate. The team are always looking for more members to get involved. They have recently issued their first newsletter.