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Thursday 9 January 2014

Improving the insulation of sheltered and retirement premises in Seaton... "overcoming fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions"

From last week's Herald:

Energy saving earns award

Friday, January 3, 2014 

A prize for community service has been presented to a Sidmouth man for boosting the energy efficiency of a Seaton retirement home. The Seaton Development Trust  gave the Teddy Williames Memorial Award to Derek Chant for his many hours volunteering on the major insulation project. The Sid Vale Energy Action Group chairman's efforts help make the flats much warmer and comfortable, saving on bills with no cost to the occupants. The trust annually celebrates the person that best meets its community service ethos by working sustainably with other voluntary and statutory organisations. Mr Chant, also of the Home Inspector for Devon, said he hope that initiatives such as SidEnergy, of which he is a director and founder member, will come to fruition and bring further benefit to the local community.


With more details from Seaton Today, at Pulman's Weekly News:


Every year Seaton Development Trust makes an award for community service
in memory of a long-time founding member, the late (Mrs) Teddy
Williames, who had a particular interest in sustainability. This year
the award is being made to Derek Chant, the Chairman of the Sid Valley
Energy Action Group and founding member of SidEnergy www.sidenergy.co.uk

Although Derek does not live in Seaton, he has recently been active in
assisting the residents of Tanyard Court (a block of retirement flats in
Beer Road, Seaton) in an application under the Energy Company
Obligations scheme to have cavity wall insulation installed.  This has
just been done and has already improved the comfort of residents:
savings in heating costs can also be expected throughout the winter. 
There was no cost to residents or landlord at any stage.

Improving the insulation of sheltered and retirement premises in this
way is particularly important for two reasons: overcoming fuel poverty
and reducing carbon emissions.

  * Elderly people tend to be less active and less robust than the
    population in general and need more heating over the winter. Given
    the high cost of electric heating and the decline in fixed incomes
    and pensions against inflation this places elderly people in
    particular danger of fuel poverty and the health problems associated
    with under-heated living conditions.

  * All such premises are heated by electricity.  This liberates more
    carbon per unit of heat than any other energy source, such as gas,
    oil or solid fuel.  As flats they are also not suitable for solar
    panels or other green measures saving energy: the only method of
    reducing carbon emissions is insulation, which can be complex and
    costly.

In view of the importance of this issue Seaton Development Trust is
starting a new section dealing with fuel poverty and under-heating in
retirement premises.  Anyone interested is invited to contact James
Semple at 
seatondevtrust@gmail.com.

The award will be made at the Trust's annual General Meeting at Winstons
function room, Beach Road, Seaton on 17th December from 7.30 pm. 
Afterwards Derek Chant will speak on "Our Future Energy".


SEATON TODAY | NEWS |
Seaton Development Trust | Shaping the future
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