BEN Open Meeting September 2019

Host: Bishopston, Cotham and Redland Energy Group

Theme: Retrofitting for energy efficiency

Food from Falafel King

 

Please see the presentations and workshop outputs below.

Presentations:

Welcome to the BCR Energy Group

FutureProof: Retrofitting for Energy

PREP (Private Rental Energy Project) to improve rental properties with EPC rating F & G

 

 

 

WORKSHOP  – how to engage the community in retrofitting for energy efficiency

Community groups – facilitated by Dave (BEN)

Workshop notes Community Groups

To support these projects community groups note:

  1. Are there ways of paying community groups for the support they provide to FutureProof and WUSU eg locating and rating builders, promoting the scheme locally to home owners
  2. Building community confidence in schemes like FutureProof and in tradespeople takes time
  3. Community Groups are trusted bodies in the community and really well placed to identify good traders and homeowners that wish to carry out retrofitting works and to promote the scheme

 

Afford to pay – facilitated by Kate (CSE)

Workshop notes Afford to Pay

Some of the discussion points in the workshop (details above) included:

  1. Discussed the motivations behind paying for retrofitting
  2. Tradesmen would like to understand why retrofitting and be given an opportunity to showcase their work
  3. One of the difficulties to persuade householders to undertake these measures is not knowing what is most effective and uncertainty over the quality of work

 

Tenants – facilitated by Penny Walster (Shelter)

Workshop notes Tenants

Suggestions in the notes included:

  1. One of the challenges is that tenants are a very disparate group
  2. Could community groups could work with student groups to put pressure on their landlord to improve energy efficiency
  3. How to “tempt” private landlords directly with money-saving suggestion
  4. Linking with schools and older people’s groups.

 

 

DIY homeowners – facilitated by Vicky & Mike

Workshop notes DIY Homeowners

  1. Targeting recruitment to when people are most likely to make changes
  2. Ideas about training and resources to give people confidence that they can make improvements.
  3. Concerns about standards – of new and retro fitted homes and the value of conventional measurements, EPCs and that only 1% of new build homes are tested