OTTG IN THE MONEY!
OTTG has been successful with the following applications for grants and awards:
(1) In June a grant of £3898 for training Voluntary Energy Assessors (VEA’s).
(2) In July/ August awards of £150 followed by a further £400 in the “Improving Your Patch” competition for the
(1) The Grant for Training Voluntary Energy Assessors (VEA’s).
11 members of OTTG have committed themselves to be trained as VEA’s. The training will qualify them to go, by invitation, into households in Oundle and surrounding area to conduct an energy survey. This will be followed by a report giving practical recommendations to the householder as to how savings can be made on gas and electricity bills (and therefore at the same time automatically mitigating the impact of Climate Change). The householder will be loaned an energy meter and an Eco kettle for one month and will be left to decide what action, if any, they would like to take. There will then be a follow-up contact to give any further help and advice that may be requested.
The training, which is being given by Caroline Harmon, Project Manager of Marches Energy Agency, will involve 3 x 2 hour “classroom teaching” sessions and 2 x 2 hour supervised energy audit sessions. The training will be complete in very early October and from then onwards each VEA will be required to complete, on the average, one audit per month from October through to January 2012, making 4 audits all told. The project ends in February 2012 but thereafter OTTG plans to continue to conduct audits so long as the need emerges. Furthermore, qualified VEA’s can, in turn, train further VEA recruits, so there is the potential for our audit work to gain more and more momentum.
The grant – wait for it! – is a Growing Climate Friendly Communities Grant and is funded by Climate East Midlands and administered by Groundwork East Midlands. The grant covers the cost of training, publicity, and the purchase of energy meters. There is a further £1000 beyond that for “equipment”. Our project supervisor, Sophie Harton, Environmental Business Consultant, Groundwork Derby and Derbyshire, has recommended that we consider purchasing an infra-red (thermal imaging) camera. There is no doubt that such a camera would add greater depth and authority to our recommendations and, from the householder’s point of view, the technicolour photo would strikingly communicate where the main heat losses were occuring in their home. A suitable camera would cost £3000 and so we would need to raise about £2000. I have applied for a grant of £2000 from the Northamptonshire Community Foundation and also from the Co-operative membership Community Fund. Their decisions are awaited.
(2) The “Improving Your Patch” Awards
In late July I heard that OTTG’s application had received an award and I was invited to receive it at a ceremony on
Our first award was for being judged the best entry for East Northamptonshire/Borough and District Category. This award carried with it the sum of £150. Eight such awards were made. Then the overall county winner was chosen from these eight awards. To my huge surprise and delight this turned out to be Oundle and this county award carried with it the sum of a further £400 and a very tasteful carved wooden plaque. The awards were financed by the Northamptonshire Environmental Forum and Hugh Fenton, chairman of the award panel, gave a resume of each group’s proposed activities. The awards were presented by Cllr. Ron Sawbridge, Chairman of Northamptonshire County Council.
John Flory
Treasurer OTTG.
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