SW Climate Change Action Plan – Existing domestic sector workshop – 13th December 07
______
Outline of the workshop
- Presentation by Peter Capener followed by Q&A’s
- Current regional and sub-regional activity mapping exercise
- Identified gaps in knowledge, and regional activity in this sector
- Identified barriers to regional activity and solutions
- Identified priority regional actions
Workshop leader / Peter / Capener
Participants
Borough of Poole / Erica / Pretty
City of BristolCollege / David / Tucker
Community Energy Plus / Ian / Smith
Devon County Council / Ian / Bateman
EAGA Partnership / Nicky / Jones
Energy Efficiency Advice Centre - Devon / Graham / Horler
Environment Agency - Exeter / Kylie / Russell
Exeter City Council / Keith / Williams
Government Office for the South West / Mike / Twomey
Joyner P A Limited / John / Hayward
National Energy Action / Peter / Dorans
Quick Technical Services Consultants / Martin / Quick
Regen SW / Cheryl / Hiles
Severn Wye Energy Agency / Kaye / Welfare
SomersetCounty Council / M / Pacey
Stroud District Council / Sally / Daley
West Somerset District Council / Angela / Lamplough
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust / David / Miles
SWRA CCAP team members / Clare / Brewster
Ian / Smith
Hazel / Evans
Lorraine / Chicken
A /
Existing regional / sub-regional activity
POST-IT NOTES (to be completed) / CCAP NOTES1 / Community engagement on sustainability issues being rolled out via Wildlife trusts In the South West (regional)
2 / Opportunities through LAAs
3 / Bristol Core Cities programme – EST TCT support viz carbon reduction
4 / Promotion of Solar hot water installations
5 / Affordable warmth in LAA’s NI 187
6 / Devon Warm Zones
7 / Somerset Warm & Well partnership – discounted / free cavity wall & loft insulation scheme
8 / L.A.A
9 / Sub Regional
- Landlords insulation scheme across 2 unitary authorities – Bmth & Poole
- Free insulation for landlords
10 / Private landlords scheme in Bournemouth & Poole
11 / Gloucestershire & Well Programme
12 / Dorset Climate Change Coalition
13 / Decent Homes agenda
14 / Hard to heat homes scheme / Not sure what this refers to
15 / Taunton Deane area working panel last week committed £45k to set up a renewable energy advise centre
16 / C.E.E.F Community Energy Efficiency Fund
17 / Current Activity
Regeneration programmes addressing housing improvement (social or private sector and include private rented sector)
18 / S.C.S Sust Community Strategy / Not sure who’s strategy this is
19 / (Cornwall) Climate Change Strategy
20 / Sustainable Energy Networks such as DSEN, CSEP etc
21 / SWEEG
SW Energy & Env Group
Basic consultancy with Exeter Uni. CEE paid for by LA members. Unsure whether it has been asked to advise on domestic omissions.
22 / Local EEAC’s as referral “hubs”
Warm & well scheme Gloucs & S. Gloucs
Also replicated in Somerset
Already integrates funding, could investigate hard to treat and renewables.
23
B / Gaps in knowledge:
FLIPCHART TEXT
/CCAP NOTES
1 / Lack of knowledge on property types & stock / Possible research action to develop knowledge on property types and stock.2 / Understanding of economic impacts of energy efficiency work / Possible action to expand on understanding of economic impacts as already begun under LCH&FPS
3 / Need a reality check (£) on micro-generation technology / Link to New Build & Micro-RE sector section & identify what action will answer this question.
4 / Need to understand the reasons behind variation in local take up of grants / Possible research action to identify causes of variations in take-up of funding
5
C / Gaps in activity:
FLIPCHART TEXT
/CCAP NOTES
1 / Gap in E…E…C… funding at regional level / Develop regional approach to improve consistency of use of CERT funding through partnership with suppliers.2 / Lack of regional position on RE in planning / The RE position in planning will be helped significantly once there is clarity around the RSS.
3 / Need more effective relationship between Regional Housing Board and LA’s / RHB to lead on work with LA’s (some existing activity begun by LCH&FPS)
4 / Don’t know how it all fits together – coordination – need an organisational chart for who does what / Produce organisational chart as part of SWCCAP
5 / Need better understanding of the market – consumers / Link to action in 1 above.
6 / Regional consultation needed on hard to treat properties / Possible research activity to improve understanding and action on hard-to-treat properties.
7 / Area based insulation programmes / Can region assist roll out of area based insulation programmes ?
8 / Quality Assurance scheme for installers – to build confidence / Action to identify who / how can existing schemes be better communicated to industry / consumers ? Part of SEN work ?
9 / Support for the Renewable Energy sector / Noted. Link to RE / Energy sections.
10 / Supply chain development for wood chip / Noted. Check with RegenSW if this work is already happening .
11 / Regional Sustainable Energy Strategy / Action to develop a Regional Sustainable Energy Strategy and make links to existing Strategies eg RE Strategy.
12 / Sharing of best practice / Need to clarify what best practice and who & to whom and how it will be shared. SEN & LCH&FPS may already have plans to roll out .
13 / Rolling programme of external wall insulation (EWI) / Possible research project to identify funding sources and issues re supply chain capacity to achieve roll out of external wall insulation.
D /
Barriers
/E
/Solutions
/CCAP NOTES
1 /Lack of political understanding of the scale of the problem
/1
/Summary of Low Carbon Housing & Fuel Poverty Strategy to be read by all SW politicians
- All SWRA Members to be given energy audits of their homes
Possible action to raise profile of LCH&FPS with Members of SWRA via summary of Strategy & home energy audit (provided by who ?)
2 / Lack of direction from central govt / 2 /- Build effective regional – local relationships
- Region needs to deal with existing central govt direction
3 / Conflicting priorities in local govt funding / 3 /
- Need to put in place 3 year funding commitment to EE programmes within LA’s
4 / Existing Govt schemes eg Warm Front, need reassessing / 4 /
- Warm Front grants to be for heating only
-enable client to choose installer have a regional approach to funding allocation for low carbon buildings / National lobbying action: request re-assessment of Warm Front & other national schemes.
5 / Lack of capacity in installers / 5 / Even out the troughs in funding (regional pot) / Noted. Link to funding issues in point C1 & D3
6 / No framework for decision making in the region for sustainable energy / 6 / Bring together regional strategies & identify regional priorities / Regional Sustainable Energy Strategy could provide a framework.
7 / Cultural barriers – personal behaviours need to change / 7 / Campaign to influence consumer choices & suppliers
Overcome negative perception of external cladding (AONB’s) / Noted. Part of communication element of SEN work.
8 / Confusion of messages / 8 / Coherent messages linked to Sustainable Energy Strategy / Sustainable Energy Strategy and SEN roll out to try to co-ordinate messages to consumers.
9 / Agencies don’t have statutory duties / responsibilities re fuel poverty / 9 / Climate mitigation/adaptation & Fuel Poverty P.I’s in LAA’s (GOSW to encourage) & support for agencies / Noted. Issue re potential conflict of Fuel Poverty and CO2 reduction needs clarification. (LA statutory role developing via PI’s for LAA’s.)
10 / Marketing is currently generic – need targets & more sophisticated approach / 10 /
- Sustainable Energy Network to work on more sophisticated approach
- Improve targetting of messages –use structured community level engagement
Need to identify a case study of structured community level engagement and enable roll out to other sub-regions.
11 / No motivation for landlords / tenants in private rented sector / 11 /
- Best practice sharing / Support for Energy Performance Certificate at regional level / Use existing partnerships.
- Link Housing Benefit to insulation eg Landlords insulation scheme. Local Reference Rent Level
- Community Planning solutions – more emphasis on energy solutions
12 / Lack of funding for key measures eg solid walls, renewable energy / 12 /
- Small scale technical innovation / expansion of Renewable Energy 4 Devon (RE4D) across the region
- Put in a regional bid to EEC/CERT to fund more difficult measures
-negotiations with suppliers around innovative tariffs
-maximising micro renewables through CERT / Noted.
Need to address funding issues re delivery of sub-regional level RE advice which is patchy & how to address the ‘more difficult to achieve’ or more costly measures.
13 / Gap between communities & local authorities / 13 / Overview of community initiatives shared regionally / share best practice / Case of sharing examples of how community-level activity can link to LA work & ensure communication between them is good.
14 / ** / Create high tech / video conferencing hubs to facilitate regional networking / Regional communication issue:
Specific action for eg RDA to fund is strategically placed video-conferencing rooms for all organisations to use.
F / Priority Actions
FLIPCHART TEXT / Lead org’n / CCAP NOTES
1 / Funding consistency / continuity / RegenSW / SEN / Regen SW & SEN to develop regional partnerships & programmes around funding & procurement. Links to points C1, D3, D5
2 / Communications Plan – for public & stakeholders / SEN / Communications Plan to be developed by SEN – to clarify information on EE for both public and for stakeholders in SW .
3 / Reality check – what is really achievable / SWRA / Possible research activity on what renewables can realistically deliver in the domestic sector. To be set up by SWRA.
4 / Sharing best practice / local delivery / RegenSW / Networking activity to promote best practice in EE activity throughout region, to be led by Regen SW
5 / Regional priorities across sustainable energy agenda / RDA/SWRA / RDA/SWRA to assess priorities within sustainable energy agenda – via Sustainable Energy Strategy ?
6 / National lobbying – clarify evidence / SWRA / Not sure what this refers to. ??
7 / Video Conferencing ? Facilities (Hubs ??) / RDA / RDA to assess feasibility of creating strategic network of video-conferencing facilities for region.
Additional comments by Pete Capener / We haven’t captured in priority actions an important focus on hard to treat which came out earlier and I think is crucial to the region / See C6 above. Needs to be picked up via LCH&FPS & other strategic housing work.
Linked to above is the importance of the region developing more effective approaches to rolling out solid wall insulation for example maximising solid wall within CERT through discussions with suppliers / Need to identify a regional organisation / partnership to develop more effective approaches to solid wall insulation within CERT through discussions with suppliers.
Also a separate though linked issue is the importance of fuel poverty and the fact that none of the regional bodies or EST are really covering the issues – important therefore for the Regional Housing Strategy review and regional housing allocations / Need to identify who has role / responsibility for Fuel Poverty in the region. Is it RHB ? Or others?
Also nothing in priority actions around sector support on energy efficiency and renewables and vital role Regen is developing in this area – needs highlighting to RDA in order to support Regen activities – it is also really important / Issue of highlighting need for support for EE & RE & also role that Regen SW plays. (NB Ref to RDA).
Linked to above is discussion with sector skills councils around the skills and training needs for the sector. / Possible action re assessing skills & training needs of sector & co-ordinating delivery.