Ben Bradshaw to launch Big Community Energy Weekend
Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw is to launch the Big Community Energy Weekend on 17th and 18th May – an event designed to help people reduce their energy bills and tackle climate change.
The event will see around 30 people who have ‘gone green’ around Exeter open their doors to the public to show the practical possibilities of saving energy at home.
At the same time an energy fair at Montgomery School, Europe’s first zero carbon school, will showcase a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy products and feature advice and presentations from independent experts.
The weekend will also see the launch of Exeter Community Energy (ECOE), a new social enterprise which is organising the event and currently planning the city’s first source of community-owned solar power.
ECOE Chair Gill Wyatt said: “We want to change the way Exeter produces, uses and thinks about energy. The Big Community Energy Weekend is really exciting for us because it gets people thinking, but most importantly it will help them take practical action that benefits them directly.
"It’s also a springboard for our first community-owned solar project, and we can’t wait to share more details with people and get them involved.”
With support from central government, as well as Exeter City Council and Devon County Council, the project is gathering a lot of interest within the community. There will be more details about the project throughout the weekend, including the presentation at the energy fair and a further session at Bicton EaRTH Institute at 12:30pm on 18th May.
Mr Bradshaw, who will be opening the energy fair, said: “People in our community are right to be concerned about the amount they spend on energy and this is a great way for us to work together to claw some of it back. And in the process we can address climate change and make Exeter a greener city too.”
He will be speaking alongside ECOE at 12pm on 17th May about the exciting plans to create community-owned renewable energy in Exeter. The idea is to raise money from individuals in the community to pay for solar panels, which will then produce an income that pays for community projects combating fuel poverty, energy inefficiency and environmental issues.
