CAfS Home Energy Team
Our team are based in (or very near) Cumbria and all are experienced, helpful and sympathetic. They will ask you a series of questions to work out what support we can give you.
All of our colleagues who give home energy advice are DBS checked, and thoroughly trained. Our Project Officers and Home Energy Advisers hold City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Energy Awareness as a minimum. They are quality assured by our internal expert staff, attend our monthly meetings to stay up to date with the latest information and regularly assessed.
![Tina Holt](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Tina-Holt-CAfS-website-200x200.jpg)
Her experience in energy efficiency includes leading behavioural change programmes, creating a project to support and inspire retrofit in her local community, home energy consultancy, working for a Green Deal Provider and editing and running the AECB’s CarbonLite Retrofit online course.
She also has hands-on experience of deep retrofit through coordinating building work on a previous home in Nottingham. This became one of the first homes in the UK to achieve the space heating target of EnerPHit (the Passive House retrofit standard). Previously, Tina worked as a consultant and project manager implementing business systems in private and public organisations.
![Sarah Munton](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sarah-munton.jpg)
She moved to Cumbria in November 2021 to be closer to family and to embrace the outdoor life she loves. She has previously worked in legal services and for an Essex Hospice where she was part of the Corporate Services and Facilities team. Her responsibilities included maintaining external stakeholder relationships and supporting the team’s volunteers.
![Phoebe Balcombe](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Phoebe_edited.jpg)
Phoebe joined the Cold to Cosy team in August 2022, looking to continue helping those in need feel supported. She enjoys going for walks and swims, going to concerts and exploring new places.
![Amy Hield](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/amy-200x200.jpeg)
She began working with CAfS in 2019 as a Home Energy Adviser on our Cold to Cosy homes program, supporting people at risk of fuel poverty, she now provides quality assurance for our team of Cold to Cosy advisors, as well as working across our retrofit services.
Deeply motivated by the need for a just transition to low carbon homes, Amy particularly enjoys working directly with clients to help them explore the best options for them to reduce the cost of heating their homes, both in terms of carbon and pounds.
![Alison Smith](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Alison-200x200.png)
During a degree in Environmental Health, Alison particularly enjoyed the housing element of the course and for the last four years Alison has been building her own house, converted from an old agricultural building. This has been an excellent apprenticeship in putting into practice the technical construction knowledge and experiencing all those retrofitting issues.
![Mamosa Simmons](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Mamosa-Simmons-scaled-e1694682317851-200x211.jpg)
Originally from South Africa, Mamosa made the move to Cumbria in November 2019. She holds a LLM in International Human Rights from De Montfort University and has a wealth of experience in Immigration law in South Africa. Mamosa is also actively involved in charity work.
Outside of work, Mamosa enjoys going for walks with her family, cooking, gardening, and exploring different travel destinations.
![Claire Hepworth](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Website-picture-CH-scaled-e1693823374671-200x212.jpeg)
This year, Claire has returned from a 4-month trip travelling Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as enjoying an interrailing trip in Europe last summer. She has an English Literature degree from Lancaster University and previously worked at a local secondary school, providing maths intervention to students, as well as working in a local vegetarian café. After always having a keen interest in sustainability, Claire is excited to be part of a team making a great change to Cumbria.
Outside of work, Claire enjoys baking vegan cakes, growing veggies, riding her horse and travelling.
Energy Advisers
![Graeme Brown](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/graeme1-200x200.jpeg)
Graeme lives in Lancaster with his family with whom he shares a love of the outdoors, gardening and growing food.
In his free time Graeme carves useful everyday objects such as spoons, bowls and seats from foraged green wood.
![Andrew Rogers](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AndrewRogers-200x200.jpeg)
Since then, he has become a Domestic Energy Assessor and Trainer, a Commercial Energy Assessor, an On Construction SAP Assessor, a Green Deal Advisor and more recently, a PAS2035 Retrofit Assessor.
Andrew is currently the Lay Chair of the Durham Diocesan Synod and an Honorary Canon at Durham Cathedral.
![Dan Richards](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Image-e1665402319461-200x205.jpeg)
Since moving back to Cumbria in 2012 Dan has worked in active travel projects and events.
He is currently renovating an outbuilding to Passivhaus standards and bringing his experiences in retrofit and energy efficiency to a classic Cumbrian stone building.
![Stephen Mulvihill](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1-e1665402908772-200x200.jpg)
Stephen joined CAfS in January 2022 from an electrical-mechanical background. He ran his own company for 25 years before moving on to constructing new houses and refurbishing existing ones.
The lack of energy efficient measures in the building regulations led to his interest in energy conservation. He has qualifications in renewable energy, Solar P.V., Heat Pumps and Ventilation systems.
He has a passion to eliminate fuel poverty and make buildings energy efficient and a comfortable environment to live in at low energy costs. He is a member of the IET and a founder member of the Retrofit Academy.
![Antony Dumskyj](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AntonyEnergyAdviser-scaled-e1666777796334-200x199.jpg)
From 2011 Antony and his partner set about transforming 16 acres of upland sheep pasture in Derbyshire into a biodiverse smallholding.
Antony and his partner now hope to build a straw bale eco-house or convert the small stone barn, all off-grid and designed for maximum energy efficiency.
Antony enjoys being able to help others reduce their environmental footprint, and in his spare time loves nothing more than soaking in the ambience on woodland walks.
![Rick Squires](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Rick-Cold-to-Cosy-scaled-e1676448262456-200x200.jpg)
He joined CAfS in mid 2020 as Project Officer on the Cold to Cosy Homes team and more recently moved over to ‘the other side’ to become a Home Energy Advisor.
Rick is currently building a low energy, carbon-negative natural home near Kendal as part of a small co-housing project.
Energy Assessors
![James Woolgrove](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/JamesWollgrove-200x200.jpeg)
James’ understanding of building physics and the crafts involved have been essential in influencing energy consumption on many projects around the country, including on his own home. James has had significant training and CPD in Retrofit. He is a Chartered Building Manager with the CIOB and a Fellow of IIRSM.
![Chris Shepard](https://cafs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Bio-Face-Photo-2-e1665402468815-200x200.jpg)
Chris’ vision is to look beyond mere use of renewables and says that; ‘our living spaces can work far better for ourselves, nature and the planet’. He balances outdoor adventure with a spirit for fun and creativity from his distant Nordic roots, via Yorkshire.
He’s worked in the built and natural environment, including leading a multi-disciplinary consultancy with National Trust. He firmly believes that business is about people first. He draws his inspiration from his home base in The Lake District. Motto ‘be curious, always’