Coventry Tuesday 3 September 2013 CAN Awards 2013

Coventry – Tuesday, 3 September 2013 CAN Awards 2013

East Midlands CAN Award Winner: Rosemary Leach (Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council) and Isabel Clark (Rutland County Council) Collecting Award: Isabel Clark Isabel and Rosemary coordinated and almost wrote the entire bid on behalf of Rutland Leicester District Councils for the hugely successful DECC project. Though there were many people, including officers, managers, warm homes officers etc who hugely contributed, these two went above and beyond to ensure the project was successful. Through the project, over three million pounds have been spent locally both through capital and revenue funding. A great number of green deal assessments have been carried out and hundreds brought out of fuel poverty. Approximately 50 solar installations occurred in each of the authorities, people have been given jam-jar accounts to pay bills by direct debit, and they are given budgeting advice via the Citizens Advice Bureau. Fuel vouchers have been distributed and hundreds of Sedbuk Arated boilers have been installed in fuel poor households. Other Nominees: Gedling Council

East Pennine CAN Award Winner: Wakefield Council Home Energy Team Collecting award: Paul Maplethorpe Wakefield Council Home Energy Team partnered up with Wakefield council School Travel Plan Team and the Wakefield Joint Public Health team to promote reducing CO 2 across Wakefield district. The area being concentrated on was Pontefract as it is proven to have high emissions as it is in the region of the joint M 1 and M 62 motorway interchange. The ‘Cutting Carbon’ project was piloted in three primary schools to promote walking / health and energy reduction to pupils parents and staff.

HECA East Award Winner: Suffolk Warm Homes Healthy People Project Collecting award: Martin Seymour/Christine Barrett The partnership of Suffolk County and District authorities were successful, for a second year running, in securing funding from the Department for Health’s Warm Homes Healthy People project. This year, in addition to £ 315, 000 of Do. H funding, the project received £ 165, 000 of DECC Fuel Poverty Fund funding to support capital measures including insulation and the replacement of heating systems. The majority of the fuel poverty and energy efficiency related elements of the project was managed and supported by District and Borough Council officers, in addition to their “day job”. Other Nominees: The Energy Team, Broadland District Council

London HECA Forum Award Winner: Community Energy Savings Program (CESP) in Lambeth Collecting award: John Kolm-Murray In January 2012 a large-scale retrofit project got on the way on Lambeth’s Loughborough Estate to bring the 850 -odd flats up to decent homes standard. In a very tight and intense partnership between E. ON, Lambeth Council, the ALMO United Residents Housing (URH) and the main contractor United House, a £ 1. 7 m programme of CESP-eligible works was devised to dove-tail into the £ 7. 5 m decent homes programme. The program itself was not only finished on time and on budget, but also additional qualifying works were identified whilst works were in progress. This meant that in addition to the £ 1. 7 m CESP funding originally agreed, another £ 800 k, mainly consisting of external wall insulation, was added to the programme, leading to a total of £ 2. 5 m of CESP funding. Other Nominees: Camden Well and Warm Project, East London Renewal Partnership Circle Housing Energy Doctor Project, London Borough of Islington, affordable warmth advice services’ SHINE project

North East CAN Award Winner: Elizabeth Kemp (Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council) Elizabeth joined Redcar & Cleveland’s Energy Team two years ago as an apprentice. She has shown great enthusiasm and has developed her skills in the field of energy and the environment. Elizabeth manages the day-to-day communications for the North East Carbon Action Network and organises local events, also assisting with their Affordable Warmth programme, attending community events to give energy efficiency advice and providing assistance and advice to households. Most notably, Elizabeth runs the local Low Carbon Schools project, advising schools on how to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions, working with the children about energy conservation in school and at home. This has been a very successful scheme, with schools successfully reducing their energy consumption. She also manages the Carbon Champions network and is continually looking for new ways to engage the Council’s workforce to reduce carbon emissions.

North West Award Winner: Stockport Homes Energy Team Collecting award: Louise Whan Stockport Homes Energy Team manage housing stock owned by Stockport Borough Council. Since 2011, SHL have carried out an installation programme of solar photovoltaic panels on their existing stock, this involved installing PV on over 1, 930 properties. This programme also brought the installation of 28 large scale projects on council buildings and schools. Solar thermal technologies have been installed onto new build properties and, in late 2011, the first large-scale biomass boiler was installed in Lancashire Hill. The installation of solar panels has led to reduced energy bills, coupled with the cultural change programme which advises residents on energy usage, which has made further financial savings for residents.

South East CAN Award Winner: Insulate Hampshire Collecting award: Beth Richards Insulate Hampshire was an area-based insulation scheme developed in partnership with all District and Borough Councils and the County Council in Hampshire, to deliver cavity wall and loft insulation to all Hampshire residents. The project was initially developed in response to fuel poverty concerns, but also aimed to achieve: energy bill savings for Hampshire residents; reduced CO 2 emissions; creation of local jobs and an improvement in health and wellbeing. Insulate Hampshire was one of the most successful area-based insulation programmes in the country and successfully delivered over 18, 600 insulation measures into Hampshire homes. IH has undertaken further work around delivering additional measures to vulnerable and fuel poor households, after securing funding under the Fuel Poverty Fund in late 2012. The programme consisted of the installation of a full gas central heating system to qualifying residents; this programme is currently on-going. Other Nominees: Buckinghamshire Affordable Warmth project, Alan Asbury

South West Charles Garrett (Bath and North East Somerset Council) Charles Garrett began work with HECA in 2001 and has been involved in almost 30 initiatives to increase energy efficiency. In 2012/13 he has co-ordinated initiatives including: Warmer Widcombe for Older People, Freedom from Fuel Poverty, Winter Warmth Club and Open House, B&NES Energy@home and Warm Streets CERT. These efforts have been recognised by South West CAN membership this year when they appointed Charles the Vice. Chair of the branch.

West Midlands Warmer Worcestershire Network Collecting award: Heather Lammas The Warmer Worcestershire project is a partnership of six district councils, county council, NHS, statutory agencies and the voluntary sector, all working together to address issues associated with fuel poverty. The project started in 2009 with a thermal flyover looking at heat loss and promoting insulation measures. More recently, following funding through WHHPF, Warmer Worcestershire has had a greater health focus. Once engaged, people are referred to the appropriate scheme, whether that be benefit support or a referral for ECO. Age UK supported 456 households and over 180 front-line staff have been trained to recognise the links between cold homes and health. Moving forward, the county and the six districts are working to deliver HECA plans through the Warmer Worcestershire partners and are now working to develop a long term strategic partnership with Carillion Energy Services to deliver ECO and Green Deal to all residents to enable the delivery of both fuel poverty and CO 2 targets. Other Nominees: Rachel Jones

Lifetime Achievement Award Hazel Hill (Bracknell Forest Council) Hazel Began her role as a Sustainable Energy Officer in 1999. She has been involved with HECA/CAN since then, being awarded HECA officer of the year three times. Her work involves home visits to residents providing energy information, also including information about renewable energy for domestic use. Her work over the years includes multiple energy efficiency schemes, and she has obtained grants to help target the most vulnerable and the fuel poor. She was also awarded a Green Apple Award in recognition of her work in the environment. Other Nominees: Colin Anderson Cliff Duff