More funding

Communities in Exmoor National Park are set to benefit following a successful funding bid for £85,000 for projects related to tackling climate change. The funding was secured for the Carbon Neutral Exmoor project by the Exmoor Trust with considerable support from Exmoor National Park Authority. It brings the amount of external funding secured by Carbon Neutral Exmoor to £521,000 in the last two years with almost all the funding being spent in Exmoor’s communities.
The latest funding will be used to help improve the energy efficiency of community buildings in Dulverton, Porlock and Brompton Regis, and these demonstration projects will act as a focus for engaging communities in and around those settlements in relation to energy efficiency and renewable energy.  The project will be managed by staff from Exmoor National Park Authority with assistance and support from the three other key partners to the project, Forum 21, the Somerset West Private Sector Housing Partnership and Devon Association for Renewable Energy.
The buildings that will be improved include village halls in Brompton Regis and Porlock, the Riverside Youth Club in Dulverton, the Ford community hall in Porlock and the Porlock Visitor Centre. Measures installed will include internal wall insulation and energy efficient lighting. The funding has been awarded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change through its Local Energy Assessment Fund.
Jenny Stringer from Brompton Regis said: “We are delighted that this funding will enable us to further improve the local hall and allow us to offer a more comfortable building with lower running costs. We also hope the events and awareness raising activities being undertaken will get local people involved and interested in how they can save money on their energy bills whilst reducing their environmental impact.”
 Alongside the building improvements, renewable energy and energy efficiency assessments will be undertaken in Brompton Regis, Dulverton and Porlock. These will help to raise awareness of opportunities and financial incentives that are available to householders and businesses to enable them to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and install renewable energy systems.  In particular, the Government’s flagship environmental initiative, the “Green Deal” is due to be launched later this year providing upfront funding to enable householders, businesses and communities to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.  Repayments will be made through electricity bills with the ‘golden rule’ being that the customer’s overall energy bills will be less than or equal to what they were before the measures were installed. This will be achieved through savings on heating and lighting bills brought about by the measures installed.  Other schemes promoted will include the Feed in Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive which provide premium payments for electricity and heat respectively, generated from renewable sources such as the sun, wind, water and wood.
The Green Deal is also expected to provide new local employment opportunities. Said Ben Eardley, Exmoor National Park Authority’s Low Carbon Communities Officer said: “The Green Deal is likely to create a lot of additional opportunities for tradesmen who can turn their hand to installing internal wall insulation, energy efficient lighting and other energy efficiency measures. It may also provide an opportunity for existing companies to expand their activities, taking on new staff. We will be organising a local event to raise their awareness of this important new initiative.”
Various other events are planned for the public in the three communities where work is being funded.  Volunteers will also be able to receive free training to enable them to undertake energy efficiency surveys through the scheme. A small payment will be available for each energy survey undertaken.
Only two years ago, Exmoor National Park Authority secured £404,000 for Carbon Neutral Exmoor from the Department of Energy and Climate Change through its Low Carbon Communities Challenge. That project was successfully delivered on time and to budget. £32,000 was also secured through the Rural Development Programme for England by the National Park Authority to help part-fund the employment of a project officer.
Carbon Neutral Exmoor is a partnership project coordinated by Exmoor National Park Authority and supported by partners including Forum 21, Exmoor Trust, Somerset West Private Sector Housing Partnership, West Somerset Council and by representatives from communities in Exmoor National Park. It aims to help communities in Exmoor to make the successful transition to low carbon living and in the process to benefit from warmer homes, lower fuel bills, improved health and from low carbon sector employment opportunities
Further information is available from Ben Eardley or Tim Stokes on 01398 323665.

Published: 16 February 2012