Energy

Making a transition to using less energy overall, and more renewable energy, is a key aspect of tackling both climate change and our dwindling and insecure supplies of gas, oil and coal.

We want to have a positive impact on climate change, community development and the local economy by reducing Exeter’s reliance on fossil fuels and using income from renewable energy projects to invest in other energy efficiency and renewable energy community projects.

The Transition Exeter Energy Working Group has had a number of successful projects over recent years and in 2014 it gave rise to Exeter Community Energy, a Registered Society set up to generate community-owned renewable energy in Exeter.

In early 2012 Transition Exeter won funding from DECC’s Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF). This enabled us to:

• Carry out a survey to understand needs and attitudes towards energy efficiency in the home;
• Run workshops that provided practical affordable energy saving measures;
• Organise two Green Homes Tours to inspire people by what homeowners have already been able to achieve;
• Write a report giving our findings and making recommendations.

Exeter Community Energy

Exeter Community Energy (ECOE) is an innovative social enterprise that enables local people to own and manage renewable energy projects.

ECOE aims is to bring together people who are interested in building a sustainable future for our community, who care about climate change and the depletion of resources, and who want to reduce fuel bills, promote energy efficiency and address fuel poverty. ECOE is a Registered Society working for the benefit of our city, its community and the environment.

Find out more at ecoe.org.uk.

Solar PV1

ECOE’s first project, Solar PV1, was to install around 200kWp of solar PV on roofs of community organisations (halls, schools, churches etc) and/or local businesses. A community share issue raised the funds required for the installation and all related costs, and the income was used to cover the organisation’s running costs, pay a fair return to investors and create a sustainable community fund.

ECOE’s income comes from the discounted sale of electricity to host sites, exporting remaining electricity to the national grid, and the government’s feed-in-tariff. It is used to cover the running costs of the organisation, pay community shareholders a fair rate of return and establish a revolving community fund.