Energy Efficiency

Warm homes

Every winter many people suffering from fuel poverty become vulnerable to the dangers of hypothermia. According to the first release by the Office for National Statistics, there were 25,000 excess deaths in the relatively mild winter of 2000/2001 & nearly double that in 1999/2000.

8 million people in Britain are unable to heat their homes adequately, but by following advice on energy efficiency and taking a few steps to insulate our homes adequately this needn't be so.

Islington Council run an Energy Advice Centre, which residents can contact (visit or phone or e-mail) for advice on improving the energy efficiency of their homes. They provide lots of information which people can use to reduce their fuel consumption and I am hoping to carry out a survey to assess the positive impact of this centre for people living in Islington.

We hav ebeen invetsigating whether the Cally Time Bank can encourage residents to become pro-active in improving living conditions for neighbours. Participants could earn time bank credits by checking that vulnerable members of the community are OK during the cold weather. The installation of hot water tank lagging, loft insulation, and other energy saving measures (silver lining behind radiators, thermal curtains) could be carried out by skilled local people , which in turn earn credits which could pay for improvments to their homes.

If you'd like to join please e-mail: [email protected]