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Renewable energy

Project makes solar power simple for six Cumbrian communities

Six Cumbrian communities are banding together to install solar panels on the roofs of their towns. CAfS is working with groups in these areas to help them engage with solar installers. Good solar photovoltaic (PV) installers are in huge demand right now, as everyone is searching for ways to cut their soaring energy bills. As a result, they’re finding it difficult to respond to enquiries for smaller jobs, especially in rural Cumbria. Homeowners and small business owners are missing out on an opportunity to save money and tackle climate change. Working with dedicated community groups and town and parish councils [...]

By |2022-09-14T15:52:10+01:00September 14th, 2022|Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Smaller grants lead to widespread action

The Zero Carbon Cumbria Community Climate Grants have been awarded to 11 organisations over the past few months. Earlier this year, we updated you on the two large grants (up to £10,000) awarded to community projects working to reduce carbon emissions in Cumbria. Now, we thought it was about time to give you a flavour of some of the other action taking place as a result of the grants. These projects are recipients of either the small or medium sized grants. While this is not all the projects that have been funded, they provide a snapshot of the brilliant initiative [...]

By |2022-07-22T14:37:24+01:00July 21st, 2022|Food, Homepage, News, Renewable energy, Youth, Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership|
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New report sets out Cumbrian energy projects in race to net zero

This month, the Green Investment Plan Cumbria (known as the GIPC to their friends) launched its new green investment report. The report outlines a series of projects that are set to pump billions of pounds into the local economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes every year. The projects intend to make the most of Cumbria's wealth of renewable and natural assets and take in a range of sectors and range across nature, transport, buildings and the energy sectors. They each involve various mechanisms to help with their financing. The report also identifies actions which should [...]

By |2021-12-02T14:08:08+00:00December 2nd, 2021|Climate politics, Community energy, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Partnership to Galvanise Green Investments for Cumbria Launches

A new and innovative green investment plan for Cumbria is being developed by a consortium of local and national partners. The plan will enhance the county’s competitiveness nationally, benefit the county’s economy, boost employment opportunities and help tackle climate change. The investment plan will identify a set of iconic projects across Cumbria in sectors such as energy generation, transport, agriculture and waste management, along with exploring the sources of finance required from institutional investors, banks, public finance and community funding institutions. Key partners involved include Grantham Research Institute of the LSE, the multinational engineering and design company Arup, local [...]

By |2021-06-17T15:09:56+01:00June 17th, 2021|Community energy, Fossil fuels, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Ambleside to Zero – what we’ve learned so far

by Molly Hogg, Low carbon communities project manager CAfS is proud to have supported Ambleside Action for a Future (AAFAF) for the past two years. Established in late 2018, this local sustainability action group has grown to over 100 members and is committed to reducing the whole town’s carbon footprint to net zero by 2030. Their outstanding ambition is being backed by South Lakeland District Council (SLDC). They see this as an opportunity to develop a whole-place approach to community decarbonisation that can be expanded across the district and replicated elsewhere. SLDC engaged CAfS to support AAFAF to shape [...]

By |2021-04-19T15:32:29+01:00April 9th, 2021|Ambleside to Zero, Community energy, Home energy efficiency, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Good take up of the new CAfS carbon footprint calculators!

We‘re delighted to see good, early enthusiasm for our new carbon footprint calculators that were launched in early March 2021. Since then, they’ve already been used by 50 households and 10 businesses. You can find the calculators on our website here. They are available to use, for free, across Cumbria and Lancashire. One is for households and one is for businesses, both based on the same model. Measuring your carbon footprint is a great way of understanding the size of your environmental impact, specifically, how much greenhouse gas you are emitting from your daily activities or from your business. [...]

By |2021-04-19T14:30:48+01:00April 9th, 2021|Food, Home energy efficiency, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Are EVs too expensive?

You certainly wouldn’t be blamed for thinking so. In a recent series of surveys we ran in association with Charge My Street, when asked what the biggest factor was that was holding them back from buying an electric vehicle, around 40%-50% of respondents answered “the cost”. This was by far the biggest concern among respondents, some of whom viewed EV driving as the exclusive preserve of the lavish and well-off. On the face of it, it’s easy enough to see why. Glancing at Nissan’s website one can see a new Leaf EV retailing at just under £28,000 whereas their [...]

By |2021-03-29T12:52:15+01:00March 26th, 2021|Electric vehicles, Fossil fuels, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Cumbria could create 9,000 green jobs, CAfS report shows

Green industries and investment could create 9,000 jobs over the next 15 years as Cumbria seeks to hit its 2037 net-zero target, according to a new independent report by Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS). The report, entitled The potential for green jobs in Cumbria, calculates that around 9,000 jobs could be created for local people during a 15-year ‘transition period’ towards the county reaching net-zero, and 3,800 jobs in the longer term across sectors including transport, industry, retrofitting, renewable heat, renewable electricity and waste. The Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, which includes around 70 public, private and third sector organisations, [...]

By |2021-03-15T14:47:11+00:00March 12th, 2021|Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Energy events for January

Two free online events will welcome many Cumbrians into the new year with the chance to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses. The two webinars are being hosted by Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) in partnership with South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) but are open to anyone who feels that they could benefit from the advice on offer. The first of the two events, Heat pumps for homeowners is taking place on 19 January at 6:30pm and is focused on the user experience of domestic heat pumps. A heat pump is a device that transfers heat [...]

By |2020-12-21T13:48:19+00:00December 21st, 2020|Cumbria Green Build Festival, Draughtproofing, Fossil fuels, Home energy efficiency, Homepage, Insulation, News, Renewable energy|
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Events shed light on funding for home improvements

Two online events by CAfS are offering households and landlords the chance to find out about support available for home improvements, including the government’s new Green Homes Grant. The free sessions will shed light on some of the main schemes that households can take advantage of now, to make their homes warmer and use less energy. “This is a really good time to get on with improvements to save energy and reduce carbon emissions, given the support that’s out there right now,” said Andrew Northcott, energy services manager at CAfS. “But it’s not always easy for people to work [...]

By |2020-10-22T16:32:32+01:00October 22nd, 2020|Draughtproofing, Home energy efficiency, Homepage, Insulation, Renewable energy|
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