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News

New government, new green policies?

By |2024-08-16T08:40:05+01:00August 13th, 2024|Homepage, News|

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour party claimed their general election win with the slogan 'Change begins now' and with a promise to 'hit the ground' running' on key green policies. Four weeks into the new government we take a look at those key policies, and how they relate to Cumbria. Labour's manifesto included a key pledge to maintain the binding 2050 net-zero target, as well as launching 'Great British Energy' within months of coming to power - all potentially good news for moving towards a renewable energy economy. We have already seen change in this area with [...]

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Thinking of retrofit? Tips for ventilation

By |2024-08-06T15:52:57+01:00August 6th, 2024|Homepage, News, Retrofit|

Ventilation is our fourth blog in a series exploring retrofit. In this one we explore ventilation and what you can do to get it right in your home. Draught-proofing and ventilation are 2 sides of the same coin – Seal Tight, Ventilate Right. They are important concepts when considering your retrofit.  Most homes in the UK are not sufficiently well ventilated for optimal health: poor indoor air quality causes a wide range of heath problems, some of them very serious. You can read recent research here.  Getting the balance between humidity and ventilation can be tricky, but as a ruil [...]

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Green Enterprise Hub Partner Spotlight: Green Small Business

By |2024-08-01T15:03:06+01:00August 1st, 2024|GEH Partner Spotlight|

In this series of blogs we go behind the scenes of the partners at the Westmorland and Green Enterprise Hub - starting with the founder of Green Small Business, Tim Maiden. Tim has been an environmental and carbon consultant for more than two decades, advising governments, other public bodies and businesses on carbon, energy, waste and climate breakdown. He was previously a Partner at CAG Consultants, where he managed large-scale, multi-year environmental research and evaluation projects, mostly for public sector clients including the UK and Scottish Governments. He founded Green Small Business to support authentic climate action by businesses of [...]

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Introducing Climate Fresk to Cumbria’s Sustainability Network

By |2024-08-08T10:54:53+01:00July 25th, 2024|Carbon Literacy, Homepage, News|

The roll out of our new climate science training continued this month with a free Climate Fresk session for Cumbria Sustainability Network members working alongside Zero Carbon Cumbria. Groups from across Cumbria were invited to take part in the Climate Fresk course, helping us reach reach as wide a audience as possible, and gain vital feedback for future courses. The Cumbria Sustainability Network is a wide ranging network of community groups from across the county. They work within their local area to develop projects that that promote a sustainable way of living and decarbonisation. You can find out more about [...]

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Green Enterprise Hub Success Stories: Paragon Veterinary Practice

By |2024-07-24T15:22:12+01:00July 24th, 2024|GEH Case Studies|

Reducing their carbon footprint through renewable energy, waste management and vehicle tracking. View the case study here: Paragon Veterinary Practice Visit Paragon Vets website Visit the W&F Green Enterprise Hub

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Thinking of retrofit? Tips for insulation

By |2024-07-23T10:39:41+01:00July 23rd, 2024|Homepage, News, Retrofit|

This is our third blog in our series exploring different aspects of retrofit. This one looks at insulation - and it’s a big topic!  Most modern houses are now built with cavity wall insulation, but many homes from the 1950s onwards were built with empty cavities that have been filled more recently or could have cavity wall insulation installed. Not all of these are suitable for cavity wall insulation. Older properties tend to have solid walls, or cavity walls that are not suitable for filling with insulation. These properties may be suitable for insulation either internally or externally.  It is [...]

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Thinking of retrofit? Tips for draught-proofing

By |2024-07-22T11:02:45+01:00July 11th, 2024|Homepage, News, Retrofit|

Our series of blogs exploring home retrofit hints and tips continues with a look at draught proofing. Read about windows and doors in the first blog here.  Draught-proofing and ventilation are 2 sides of the same coin – Seal Tight, Ventilate Right.   Some ideas to think about: Sealing up the biggest and most obvious draughts is usually the easiest and cheapest way to save on heating bills (think letter boxes, around pipes and cables that run out through the external wall, open fireplaces, putting a carpet with underlay on a suspended timber floor and sealing around the edges)  Some draughts [...]

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Thinking of retrofit? Tips for windows and doors

By |2024-07-22T11:03:03+01:00July 1st, 2024|Homepage, News, Retrofit|

In the first of a series of blogs to help you with a home retrofit we start thinking about replacing windows or doors. Windows can make a room feel too cold..... or too hot.  The U value of the whole window (Uw) is a measure of total heat loss through the glazing, the frame and the perimeter of the glass.  Uw depends on the size and shape of each window and the amount of glazing relative to the frame.  The g value tells you how much heat from the sun can get in (the lower the better if you have [...]

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Penrith Building Society’s Amazing Summer Fundraising Efforts 

By |2024-06-21T11:11:09+01:00June 21st, 2024|Homepage, News|

Our charity partnership continues with the amazing Penrith Building Society who are running several activities this month to raise vital funds for CAfS. This includes a Cake Sale on 25th and 26th June, so if you’re in Penrith that day and feeling peckish, why not head into the branch and support their efforts? A good deed and a slice of cake, what’s not to like? Plus, we hear there are some talented bakers working at the branch so there shouldn’t be any soggy bottoms at this cake sale! The branch is also holding a month-long book swap event throughout June [...]

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Green Enterprise Hub Success Stories: Crossbank Dental Care

By |2024-06-18T16:42:03+01:00June 18th, 2024|GEH Case Studies|

Growing a sustainable business network and finding innovative solutions in a clinical environment. View the case study here: Crossbank Dental Care Visit Crossbank Dental Care website Visit the W&F Green Enterprise Hub

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