Region: Eastern Region (HECA East)
Position: HECA East Chair
Details of any meetings held and/or forthcoming:
HECA East’s next meeting will be held on 17 June 2014
Working title : “Vulnerable households, energy supply and extreme weather - What happens when the lights go out.”
Provisional programme:
- The role of emergency planning – Andy Osman, Head of Emergency Planning
- The National Grid response – National Grid speaker
- The Distribution Network Operator response – UK Power Networks speaker
- A housing provider perspective – Amanda Ashley-Smith, Estuary Housing
20 minutes per speaker. Break after UKPN. Then Ashley followed by a workshop on how we can improve the communications between professionals.
Target audience:
Energy efficiency Officers
Housing Officers
Sustainability Officers
Social Workers
Target sectors:
Public authorities
Registered housing providers
Geography:
East of England covering Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Herts, Beds, Unitaries in locality.
Details of any other events held and/or forthcoming:
- Colchester Green Open Homes throughout May
- Organising ‘Healthy Homes, Healthy People’ event to be held in Colchester, at the Western Homes Stadium on 9th October 14 – need 3 x sponsors please see attached
- Colchester looking at Power Networks funding for new project with partner En-form (Colchester based Environmental Charity)
- Launch of Colchester’s next Big Community Switch will be on the 15th April – 9th June 14
Suffolk Area:
Warm Homes Healthy People- Continuing project for third year, despite no formal funding stream from the Department of Health. We have sourced funding from a variety of streams, including engaging with the newly formed Public Health Suffolk.
The project employs a full time project officer and a Health Liaison Officer, who is developing links and referrals from all areas of the health service. During this winter the project has visited 328 homes, assisted 275 homes with fuels payments totalling £28k, and identified and implemented hundreds of energy efficiency upgrades, including lofts, cavities, EWI and boilers.
Suffolk Energy Action- Following a local government tendering exercise, Suffolk selected an ECO partner and a Green Deal partner in December 2013 to promote and deliver both programmes. Promotional materials were inserted in every council tax bill across the county and Climate Energy surveyors are now busy visiting homes. To date contact has been made with over 500 homes interested in energy efficiency upgrades.
DECC Community Energy Fund- Suffolk has just been awarded £5.5 million from DECC to deliver green deal plans through a street by street approach and by working with private sector landlords. The award was only confirmed last week so we are now in the process of designing the delivery mechanism.
Essex Area:
Community Energy Switch – A successful Community switching auction was held for residents throughout Essex. Over 1260 accepted cheaper quotes provided by iChoosr. A key element of the scheme has been the promotion of energy saving and efficiency measures.
Colchester based Community Energy project in early stages of discussion but looking to help with viability study for this over the coming months.
Rapid charger installation on strategic network near Colchester A12 (part of the ECC led initiative)
Colchester BC are hoping to get Housing Stock survey updated so we can identify focus project areas.
Any other comments, e.g. issues or barriers:
A consolidated response on behalf of all HECA East members has been submitted to DECC on the ECO Consultation.
