MEDIA RESOURCES
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HES interview for Radio 4's Costing the Earth With all the publicity surrounding our success in the Big Green Challenge, we decided to create a page specially for the Press and other media enquiries. Here you can find pictures, quotes and the HES story to date ... |
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‘The Household Energy Service team has exceeded our expectations of what communities can achieve in reducing carbon emissions and for this they should be congratulated. The success of the project proves that when communities are incentivised, empowered and supported they become a compelling force in solving some of society’s biggest challenges.’ Jonathan Kestenbaum, NESTA’s Chief Executive
The above are available in Hi Resolution, email rachelf@h-e-s.org
HES CUTS IT
We began with a vision of an energy service built and owned at local level … a service that cuts carbon and does so co-operatively. That service is Light Foot’s Household Energy Service or HES. It is a service to be proud of. A people-powered force for positive change.
Over 1,000 households in Bishop’s Castle and neighbouring towns/villages are now on a journey to low carbon living as part of HES. In 2009 we recorded average savings of 29% carbon per household, approx £404 per household per annum saved on bills, a total of 3,900 tonnes of carbon saved and half a dozen communities taking part. Our first community of Bishop’s Castle and area recently celebrated a take up of one in five households and continues to attract new participants.
Carbon savings from insulation measures, renewable installations etc will be cumulative year on year. Of equal importance are attitudinal and behavioural changes that we witness inspiring each other, supporting local economies, catalyzing the development of new and sustainable infrastructure and building upon early successes. It is this overall sense of movement that means we can expect to see even better results next year.
HES BRIDGES THE GAP
The 50 local volunteers, who are already active in their communities, bridge the gap between householders and the complex issue of climate change. We train volunteers to a high level in the skills that will help householders and, importantly, OUR TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES, to progressively take responsibility for their energy and energy use.
The initial HES-style home energy consultation and the tailored energy report that follows is FREE to all participants. We are currently developing an affordable membership scheme which will serve those who wish to invest in us and participate further. This will allow us to offer more local deals, discounts, loans for home renewables, advanced technical advice and assistance, and our quarterly newsletter, The H.E.N.
Delivery of our service is divided between local volunteer teams and a core of paid staff that includes qualified energy advisors.
THE ELEPHANT IS MOVING
There is an African saying that it is hard to move the elephant, but once the elephant is moving it is far harder to stop the elephant.
Mankind is a force of nature. Like the ocean. Like the wind. We have the capacity for extreme cruelty and greed and we sometimes make dreadful mistakes; but we also have the capacity for compassion and integrity and we know that we can come up with brilliant solutions. En masse, we are a force for change.
The outcome of the 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit shows that the existing political and economic system is struggling to address the problems we face. Meanwhile vibrant networks of concerned humans across the world ... geographical communities, digital communities etc ... are mobilising. These diverse groups have the collective capacity to create low carbon communities across the world. Its already happening. The elephant is moving.
HES is part of this movement. We want Less and we want it now … Less carbon in the atmosphere; Less energy and money wasted; Less as a metaphor for simple and Less as a challenge to the consumer culture. Nothing less than Less will do.
Helen Fairweather, Co-chair of Light Foot: “We are all facing massive global problems that many people feel they are helpless to influence. Here at Light Foot we know different. Light Foot is taking practical action to cut energy use and carbon emissions through the Household Energy Service (HES). No-one else is working in quite this way - trained volunteers, a personal survey, a thorough professional report, ongoing expert advice and support, and re-surveys to check results. And it works - we’re getting nearly 30% cuts in carbon emissions already."
