Today is the official launch of BWCE Home Energy, a new service designed to help residents in Bath and North East Somerset. It’s launching following the piloting of a range of home energy services over the past 18 months.
The independent, not-for-profit Home Energy service offers a local hub of impartial, expert advice and support to help people make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient. Their team includes energy experts who combine deep technical expertise with local knowledge of the housing stock.
From initial home energy assessments to support for getting quotes and project management, BWCE Home Energy offers a range of services to help residents understand their options and find the right solutions for their homes. Home energy assessments, offered in partnership with local partners Retrofit West and the Centre for Sustainable Energy, are supported by discount vouchers available through Retrofit West, which currently provide 70% off the price of an expert energy assessment.
Cathy Crozier-Cole, BWCE’s Home Energy Service Manager said:
“We believe every home should be warm, affordable and healthy to live in – for us and for the planet. Our goal is to support local people at each stage of their journey to achieving low carbon, comfortable and affordable homes.”
We offer a package of special support on key issues:
- Home Energy Assessments: We have a range of options available, helping people to identify the best energy saving opportunities for their homes. This includes the Home Energy Efficiency Plan that we’re launching today with Retrofit West, a cost-effective survey that provides tailored recommendations for energy saving in the home.
- Green Heritage Homes: People who live in listed buildings can gain expert, tailored guidance. BWCE energy professionals and conservation specialists from Bath and North East Somerset Council advise on ways to conserve a listed home whilst saving energy and protecting our climate.
- Green Open Homes: These events provide information about how to improve a property that is hard to get any other way: face-to-face, from a homeowner who has trodden the path. Visitors can hear about various measures from solar panels and batteries, to insulation, efficient glazing and new heating options. Dates include our Bath Open Homes Weekend on 12th and 13th October 2024, plus events in Peasedown (21st September) and Radstock (19th October).
- Specialist Heat Pump Support: We will shortly pilot and roll out expert, independent assessments for people who want sound advice on whether their home is suitable for a heat pump and what sort of heat pump to get.
In addition to these services, we’re also excited to offer support and inspiration through talks and other events that help local people share their experiences and learn from each other. Upcoming topics include ‘Purchasing a Heat Pump’ and ‘Energy Efficient Listed Buildings’ – free tickets are available now on the new website.
Our service complements other local provision focused on fuel poverty available through Bath and North East Somerset Council and the Centre for Sustainable Energy. Our aim is to scale up our paid-for services as a foundation from which to move into work supporting people with cold homes and who are at risk of fuel poverty. This is central to our vision and in line with our non-profit community benefit model.
Pete Capener, Managing Director of BWCE said:
“As a not-for-profit community business, our goal as Bath & West Community Energy is to support and empower people and put them at the heart of a just transition to an energy efficient, low carbon and affordable local energy infrastructure. Since 2010 we have been developing renewable energy projects supported by community investment and providing community benefit via grants to local community projects. It’s long been part of BWCE’s vision to extend beyond renewables into energy efficiency, so we’re delighted that we’re now doing this.”
George Pearson, Head of Technical Services at Retrofit West said:
“We’re excited to partner with BWCE. Their commitment to empowering local residents aligns perfectly with our new Home Energy Efficiency Plans, which will seamlessly integrate with their newly launched Home Energy service. Together, we aim to equip homeowners to make their homes more sustainable and save money in the process.”
Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Travel, said:
“We welcome this new initiative from BWCE, which is designed to be a local resource offering expert advice and help for Bath and North East Somerset residents wanting to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. While this obviously benefits the homeowners, it will also help us achieve our aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.”
BWCE Home Energy has received grant funding support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero working with the South West Net Zero Hub to deliver the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator Programme (LEAD), and also from the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme and Retrofit West. We are proud to be working in partnership with the following local and national organisations to deliver BWCE Home Energy projects: Retrofit West, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath Preservation Trust, Transition Bath, Buro Happold, and People Powered Retrofit.
To book a home assessment, see what services are available and to find out about events and other support, head to: www.bwce.homeenergy.coop
About Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE)
Bath & West Community Energy, founded in 2010, is a not-for-profit community business that develops community owned renewable energy projects, offering local people the opportunity to invest in local projects, earn a reasonable return and as members have a say in the running of the organisation. BWCE is a community enterprise, set up for the benefit of the community and to support local action to reduce the impact of climate change.
BWCE works to put people at the heart of the energy transition, placing ownership and control of energy in local hands. To date, through our rooftop solar schemes and solar farms we generate enough renewable electricity to power the annual equivalent of 5,000 homes. The surplus income from our energy generation is paid into an independently administered community fund, grants are awarded to local community projects whose activities support the reduction of carbon emissions or addressing fuel poverty.
In addition to energy generation BWCE run innovation projects exploring how renewable energy can be better managed to meet demand, and a Home Energy Programme looking at supporting the delivery of energy efficiency measures. Our vision is for an energy system where local people can buy low-cost, clean energy direct from local projects owned and shaped by their communities.
Find out more about BWCE and how to invest and become a member by heading to: www.bwce.coop
