Month: February 2023

Households in South Lakeland and Eden will get an extra helping hand to cut their energy bills thanks to a funding boost for Cumbria Action for Sustainability.  

CAfS is expanding support for households wanting to make energy-saving home improvements or fit solar panels, after successful bids to the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, via South Lakeland and Eden district councils.  

The funding of £92,294 in South Lakeland and £9,171 in Eden means we will be able to reach even more households through our Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria draughtproofing and advice service, as well as expanding our support and advice service for people retrofitting their homes to make them warmer, cheaper to heat and to reduce their carbon footprint.  

It will also allow us to extend our Solar Made Easy scheme in South Lakeland, which supports households wanting to install solar panels.    

The funding means an extra 150 households in South Lakeland and 15 in Eden will benefit from support by CAfS by the end of March this year. It’s a very welcome and timely boost for our Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria service in particular, given the surge in demand for our help as people struggle with rising energy bills and the wider cost of living crisis.  

Andrew Northcott, who heads up our energy services, said:  

“This is great news about funding for Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria and means we can now provide more home energy advice visits to households in South Lakeland and Eden this winter. This advice will help many households who are affected so substantially by the energy price crisis.” 

CAfS’ low-carbon communities manager Molly Hogg, who leads our Solar Made Easy scheme, said:  

“We’re very grateful for the ongoing funding and support that we’ve received from South Lakeland District Council. This additional boost from the Shared Prosperity Fund will allow us to build on our pilot Solar Made Easy project and help accelerate solar panel installations in other communities in South Lakeland.” 

CAfS is currently supporting nearly ninety households to get quotations and place orders with solar panel installers in Ambleside, Kendal, Keswick, Arnside, Levens and Duddon Valley. Plans are well under way to extend the support to Penrith, Ulverston and a cluster of villages in the Greysouthen area, with more communities to follow soon. The project has helped people overcome some of the barriers to installing solar panels.  

“We’re able to give people advice, answer their questions and help them decide whether solar is right for them, as well as connecting them with local vetted installers,” Molly said. “It’s quite difficult for people to get quotes now as demand is high. We’re able to make these installations more attractive and efficient for installers by grouping them at a community level and doing some of the upfront work for them.” 

Find out more about our services: 

Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria > 

Retrofit support > 

Solar Made Easy > 

Image Credit: visitlakedistrict.com

Our first three events in the Climate Solutions for Cumbrian Landscapes webinar series have proved incredibly popular, with each event being very nearly fully booked 

The hour-long webinars have been driven by a packed programme of expert speakers highlighting the vital role Cumbria’s landscape plays in tackling the climate emergency. So far, the series has discussed the importance of trees, peatlands and rivers, with speakers sharing the results of extensive research, right through to how that applies to local, real-life projects currently in progress and how that is making a real impact in reducing emissions, sequestering and storing carbon and supporting nature recovery. Combining facts, figures, scientific data and expert opinion, the webinars give a compelling snapshot of the current situation in Cumbria. 

The next in the series, ‘Hedgerows’ on 14 March will provide a glimpse into an ancient natural habitat providing wildlife corridors and valuable carbon storage. Owing to the popularity of the series, we’ve organised a fifth event ‘Coastlines’ on 28 April, which will dive into Cumbria’s rugged west coast, stretching from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth. 

The events are free to attend, but places are limited and must be booked in advance. To guarantee your place, visit www.cafs.org.uk/events.  

If you can’t attend the event on the day, all events are recorded and are available on a dedicated playlist on CAfS YouTube channel. 

The events support the work of Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership to develop ambitious and achievable emission reduction pathways for Cumbria, working towards the Partnership’s goal of net zero by 2037. 

We’ve have launched a series of free events for builders to help them develop their skills in retrofitting and renovating a range of homes.

Tina Holt, Project Manager for the Retrofitting project said “These three events will look at the many considerations which need to be made when renovating or extending properties of different ages and types.”

The series of three events starts with a half day course in airtightness on 28 February in Penrith.  Delivered by Ecological Building Systems based in Carlisle, the course will focus on the most appropriate methods and materials to ensure airtightness when retrofitting and extending existing buildings.

This will be followed by an evening webinar on 15 March which will cover the most recent updates to Part F, L and O of the Building Regulations that came into force in June 2021. The last event will be a two-day classroom-based course on 23 & 24 March, packed with workshops and practical sessions, both led by People Powered Retrofit, a not-for-profit one-stop-shop retrofit organisation covering the North West who offer clear, independent advice and support to help deliver retrofit projects to a high standard.

The events are fully funded by the Energy Redress scheme, and are free to attend. A generous bursary is available for all the events, intended to reimburse builders for time and cost.

Tina continued “As well as being able to deliver these high quality courses with expert speakers, they’re fully funded by the Energy Redress Scheme, so they’re fully funded and free to attend. Even better, we’re able to offer a generous bursary for each event, so hopefully our local builders won’t be out of pocket.”

For full details and to book your free places, see www.cafs.org.uk/events.

Funded through the Energy Redress Voluntary Redress Scheme. Delivered in partnership with People Powered Retrofit and Ecological Building Systems.

Are you looking for a challenge this year? Are you wanting to improve your fitness, enjoy a social day out and do something for the planet all at the same time? Then look no further! The Keswick to Barrow Walk is back and we are on the lookout for keen climate-conscious individuals to join our team and walk to raise money for local climate action.

Held on 13 May, the route is a challenging 40 miles in length and winds its way from North Cumbria through the beautiful Lake District valleys to reach its destination on the outskirts of Barrow. Thousands of people take part each year and there are opportunities to win awards for all completers as well as for the fastest time and number of times completed – some people have completed the challenge a staggering 40 times!

Want to take part, but feel it is all a step too far? Why not try the Coniston to Barrow Walk? Half the distance, but still just as much fun!

Interested? We need to sign up our teams soon, so please get in touch with our friendly fundraising team on [email protected] for more info.