Saving Power For The People

Tuesday 11th May 2010

Residents of Thornhill in Southampton are making a difference to their fuel bills by sharing information and encouraging each other to be more energy efficient.

Radian is managing the year-long project and has appointed the local Resident Involvement Officer, Michele Exton, in the new role of Community Energy Efficiency Advisor. Michele, who has a degree in Environmental Studies, is funded by Thornhill Plus You (TPY) and will work exclusively with all of the residents living in Thornhill, advising and supporting them to help find easy ways to save energy.

Some of the residents on Thornhill are living in fuel poverty, which means that they spend over 10% of their disposable income after housing costs on fuel bills. Local community members, with the support of Radian and TPY, have helped kickstart the project to educate residents how to be more energy efficient and save money on their bills.

“This project gives individuals in the community real opportunity to take personal actions. We now have the funding and support in place to enable everyone to save on their bills and help the wider community.” Michele Exton, Radian Thornhill Community Energy Efficiency Advisor.

The main objectives of the project are to give residents access to affordable warmth by advising on energy efficiency, insulation, reducing electricity and heating bills and helping those in fuel poverty to access grants; motivate residents to not waste energy; reduce residents’ CO2 emissions; and help the community to work together to benefit individual residents, the Thornhill community and the wider environment.

Debbie King MBE, Chair of Thornhill Plus You Ltd, the trading company which has been set up to ensure the succession of the community work added, “This project will benefit the local community, providing knowledge and skills to share with friends and family members to stop people falling into fuel poverty through ignorance. We want to ensure a legacy of learning and understanding so that lessons can be learnt through generations to come.”

Trixie Neilson, has been a resident on Thornhill for 20 years and is now Chair of the TPY Board. She witnessed many residents coming to the community centre drop-in sessions with excessive heating bills, but complaining of cold homes. She heard stories of pensioners who had trouble reaching their meters in order to feed them; an OAP herself, she has to lie prostrate on the floor to insert her gas money card, but cannot get a regular quarterly bill as it requires credit scoring which pensioners do not qualify for. One 92 year old man had to climb on a chair, risking serious injury, each time he needed to feed his meter.

Trixie thought that this was unacceptable and through her involvement with TPY realised that she had the opportunity to do something about it. “We are looking for funding to bring all houses on the estate up to Decent Homes Standard, but it is small decisions that make a difference. Not just the residents’ decisions in their energy usage, but also the council’s in making energy efficiency measures easier for residents to put in place.”

All of Radian’s 120 properties on Thornhill have been refurbished to meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard. Paul Ciniglio, Radian’s Innovations and Sustainability Manager said, “Radian is pushing the boundaries in how we address existing homes. We feel it is unfair that residents in older homes will have higher bills than those in new builds and are systematically ensuring our existing homes offer affordable warmth not just affordable housing.”

Radian is encouraging Thornhill residents to become energy champions and help spread the word to ensure the work continues after the project ends in a year’s time. Wendy Hill, one of the resident champions who have received energy efficiency training, talked about the obligation people feel to help the planet, but that many Thornhill households are on low incomes and don’t appreciate how to save on their bills, or even understand their bill statements. “There are some simple ways of saving energy and lowering your bills, as well as setting an example for your children and the next generation to respect the planet and their community.”

Posted by Kim for Radian Group Ltd.