A Mold housing estate is to have it own team of energy champions to help residents beat the heating and lighting bills.
Bryn Gwalia, which is designated as a Communities First area by the Welsh Government because of high level of social deprivation, is to become the town¹s very own Electric Avenue thanks to a ground-breaking scheme from rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd.
They have appointed the estate’s very first energy champion and are appealing for more as they recruit a total of ten to help households escape fuel poverty in the area which has 560 properties and is home to 1100 people..
Cadwyn Clwyd have put £44,000 into the Bryn Gwalia Energy Reduction Project and have been backed by £21,000 from the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) and £4,000 from Communities First.
The Cadwyn contribution has come from the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.
Project Officer Silas Jones said: “The champions will be friendly faces who can be on hand or can pop in and help advise residents on how best to save energy and how to access the various benefits that are available to them.
“They will also be able to organise energy advice workshops which will be based on the twin hubs of the Parkfields Community Centre and the nearby Clubhouse.”
Also playing a part will be North Wales’s very own energy expert, Steve Woosey, from Eco Centre Wales in Mold, who will be training the energy champions and running the workshops.
He said: “We have two major objectives, the environmental objective of reducing carbon emissions but also the economic benefit of reducing people’s heating bills.
“In an area of low income and rising fuel costs anything we can do to reduce energy will also reduce household bills.
“We will also help people take advantage of the offers which are out there which are costing all of us money in fuel bills.
“We know that the people who need them the most are least likely to take advantage of the offers that are available to them and which people who are better off do take up so we want to benefit from these energy saving options.”
Bryn Gwalia’s first energy champion is mum of three Karen Hodgkinson, the chair of the Bryn Gwalia Communities First Board and of the Clubhouse Committee.
She said: “We will be trained to help people find out how to make better and more efficient use of their energy so they can save money while saving the planet.
“I know we use a lot of energy in our house and I’m one of the worst offenders so I am expecting to be able to see the benefits myself.”
One way in which residents will be able to see those benefits will be through 100 energy monitors which will be distributed at the Parkfields Centre on Monday, March 5, as part of the project and Silas Jones said : “The champions will be collecting data from the monitors so we will be able to measure the effectiveness of the project.
“The champions will also be trained to give advice on everything from the most suitable types of insulation for your home and how to access grants to pay for it to which washing machines are the most eco-friendly.
“It should make energy more affordable for the people living in Bryn Gwalia and if it can help them then it will be of benefit to everyone.”
To volunteer as an energy Champion for Bryn Gwalia contact Communities First on 01352 705931 or go to http://www.bgcmold.org.uk/index.php/communititesfirst or for more information on Community Energy go to http://ceo.decc.gov.uk
Cadwyn Clwyd continues to look for innovative projects to support which help safeguard the area’s natural, cultural and heritage assets and maximise their economic potential for local businesses and communities.
To find out more about the Renewable Energy Project or other Cadwyn Clwyd schemes or to share your idea for a project call 01824 705802 or email [email protected]
