New Service to Cut Energy Bills

 

29th January 2014

Local Charities en-form and Signpost are working with Colchester Borough Council to reduce energy bills for local residents.

They are currently running a Government funded project to review consumers energy bills and then to offer free, impartial and unbiased advice on alternative tariffs. If you decide to switch they will even arrange this for you.

Although the service is open to anyone it is aimed at those who have never switched energy providers and don’t feel confident enough to do so.

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said ‘Savings of up to £200 are available, although the most we have saved a customer so far was £149. Apparently, almost 60% of consumers have never switched. ‘

There are many reasons why people do not switch including being unsure of the process, unable to receive impartial advice, no access to the internet or finding the process complicated. This service will arrange everything for you and then let you decide if you want to switch.

If you would like to benefit from this service or know someone who could, please telephone en-form on 01206 367776 or e-mail info@en-form.org.uk They will be visiting most local areas over the next few months.

Green Homes Wanted

 

29th January 2014

Have you had solar panels installed on your home, or perhaps a wood burning stove or a heat pump, in fact anything that makes your home energy bills cheaper, then environment group en-form wants to hear from you now.

Working with local Transition Town groups and Colchester Borough Council, en-form will be holding a Green Open Homes Weekend based in Colchester and a twenty mile radius in May.

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said ‘Green Open Days are like the familiar Heritage and Garden Open Days. Householders who have implemented green measures and lifestyles to their homes and would like to spread the word are invited to open their doors to the public to share their experiences and explain the numerous benefits and implications.’

At the moment 12 homes have registered their interest in opening and en-form are looking for at least 20. If you are interested in participating or know someone who is and your home is within 20 miles of Colchester please contact en-form on 01206 367776,greenopendays@en-form.org.uk or website colchester.greenopenhomes.net

The project has been funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) through the Green Open Homes Fund run by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE)

Grants available for Renewable Energy Systems

 

The deadline for Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) voucher scheme is approaching on March 31^st, 2014. The scheme aims to help households without access to Main Gas grid with the cost of renewable heating installations such as heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal. This funding is a great opportunity to replace the old inefficient heating systems with renewable heating technologies, and cut the energy bills and carbon emissions.

RHPP, run by the UK government, offers vouchers to householders across England, Scotland and Wales. The amount received as a part of RHPP depends on the technology installed.

If you qualify, you will get:

• £1,300 off an air-to-water heat pump system,
• £2,000 off a biomass boiler system,
• £2,300 off a ground source or water source heat pump system.

Additionally, a grant of £600 is offered towards the cost of solar thermal systems for all households including on-grid properties. These vouchers must be redeemed in 3 months or by 31st of March, whichever is sooner.

Full eligibility criteria are as follows,

• You live in England, Scotland or Wales.
• For heat pump and biomass boiler grants, the new system must be the property’s main source of heating. This is not required for solar thermal grants.
• The property is owned by you or you have permission from the house owner to install the new system.
• The product and installer must be certified under Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or Solar Keymark.
• The property already has basic energy efficiency measures installed where possible – such as loft insulation up to 250 mm and cavity wall insulation
• You have all the necessary planning and environmental permissions as appropriate.
• You must have had a Green Deal assessment before submitting a claim for the payment of your voucher.

Please follow go to the link below to find out more about RHPP and apply for the funding.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Getting-money-back/Renewable-Heat-Premium-Payment-Phase-2

Free Trees for Colchester Residents

 

The 8th Trees for Years Initiative sponsored by OfficeIS will be held at Rowan House Council Offices Car Park off Sheepen Road between 10am - 1pm on Saturday 1st February 2014.

Free trees will be given away to Borough Residents, Community Groups, Schools and Parish Council’s.  Residents can collect up to 3 plants per household and up to 15 per community group, School and Parish Council.
 
The following species will be available.
 
Raspberry canes
Blackcurrant canes
Gooseberry bush
Cotoneaster franchetii
Acer campestre – Field Maple
Prunus padus – Bird Cherry
Betula pendula – Silver Birch
Corylus avellana – Hazel cob nut
Cornus alba ‘Siberica’ – Red Stem dogwood
Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ – Yellow stem Dogwood
 
2014 bare root trees/fruit bushes will be available on a first come first serve basis.
Trees must be planted on private property and postcodes will be recorded to monitor the distribution.
Cultivation guidance will be available so that trees can be selected, taking into account the ultimate size and form of mature trees.
Remember to bring a bag to put your trees in.
 
Please visit  http://www.colchester.gov.uk/treesforyears2014 for more information and frequently asked questions on the Trees for Years Initiative.

Colchester Farmers’ Market 7th February 2014

 

Just a quick reminder to let you know that the next Colchester Farmers Market will be on Friday 7th February at Colchester Arts Centre, Church St, Colchester (CO1 1NF) from 9.30am to 12.30pm

Refreshments will be provided by Caroline Rhys-Lewis  

Stalls for this market will be:  

Caroline Rhys-Lewis -  Teas, Coffee, soft drinks & Cakes
Great Wigborough Traditional Meats - Beef, Pork, Lamb, mutton, chicken. bacon, gammon ham  & eggs
Daymans Hill Farm - Apples, Pears & Fruit Juices
Pears - Honey
Keepers Nursery - Seasonal Vegetables
The Gamekeeper's Daughter - Wild rabbit/game pies/pasties & pates
Tony's Fresh Fish - Fish (weather dependant catch)
Totham Bangers - Sausages and burgers
Wild Taste - Wild Food & Kitchenalia
Willies Chillies - Chilli based Products inc jams & sauces
Wonky Label Preserves - Jams, marmalades. marinades, goats cheese & olives

Guest Stalls (Craft)

Colne Valley Soap Makers - Soap (specialist handmade luxury soap for presents and every day use) 
NYR Organic -   Environmentally friendly Health and Beauty products
Loulous Handmade Craft
TESS - Tendring Enterprise Support School

We will also be collecting unwanted mobile phones and empty printer cartridges (not Epson or compatibles)  to raise funds for en-form

Unfortunately, we cannot avoid the fact that there are sometimes last minute, emergency cancellations.  

Find us also on our Colchester Farmers Market facebook page

Wivenhoe Farmers’ Market – 18th January 2014

 

The next Wivenhoe Farmers' Market is on Saturday 18th January

Please note the time has changed to 9.30am to 12.30pm. We also have a new cake stall in addition to a number of recently new stalls and the welcome return of Tony's Fresh Fish.

This months market will at the Congregational Hall in the High Street, CO7 9AB from 9.30am to 12.30pm. 

Refreshments will be available from the Transition Cafe and Barbeque run by Transition Town Wivenhoe with cakes and savoury items available from individual stallholders.

Our stallholders for this market will be:

Food Stalls -

Dayman's Hill Farm -  apples, pears, fruit juice (Recently New stall)
Joanna Neep - cakes (New stall)
Keepers Nursery - Fresh Vegetables and eggs
Primrose Pork - All meats frozen Pork, Beef, Lamb, Chickens - sausages, meat pies, pork pies, bacon, cheese, ham, eggs
The Shotgun Chef- tarts,quail eggs,game pies (Recently New stall)
Tony's Fresh Fish - Fish (weather dependent catch) (Returns this month)
Wild Taste - Wild Food & Kitchenalia (Recently New stall)
Willies Chillies - Chillies
Willow Farm - Biodynamic pork, beef & eggs and Organic chicken
Wonky Label Preserves - Jams, marmalade, marinades, goats cheese and olives

Craft & Local Trader Stalls

Christine Mckissop- hand made crafts
Colne Soap Makers - Soaps
Kippers Keys - key cutting, tool sharpening
Sylvia's Plants- garden plants
TESS - Tendring Enterprise Support School
Dr Bike will be available to check your bikes

As a customer service, we will be selling Local Honey from Knights Farm in Tendring.

Unfortunately, we cannot avoid the fact that there are sometimes last minute, emergency cancellations. 

We will also be collecting any unwanted printer cartridges (not Epson), mobile phones, CD's and DVD's to raise cash for en-form.

Green Christmas

 

Every year, Christmas places a heavy burden on the earths resources and our environment. However, it is the major festival in Britain, offering lots of fun to millions. We don’t want to be killjoys but we would like to reduce its environmental impact.

Luckily, with a little thought and a bit of information we can significantly reduce its impact, save money and actually have more fun.

On this page you can find out how to reduce the waste you produce over the festive season and recycle what you do produce, as well as how to save energy (from the increased use of all those new electrical appliances) and money and have a green Christmas!

Here's our top tips for a green Christmas in Colchester.

Christmas Cards

• Why not send an e-card instead of a paper card this year. This is becoming increasingly popular, with senders sometimes donating the money they have saved on cards and postage to a favourite charity. Send a free ecard now
• When Christmas is over don't just throw your old Christmas Cards away - recycle them. Why not help the Woodland Trust or Forest Stewardship Council by recycling all your old Christmas Cards through the recycling bins at branches of Marks and Spencer until 31st January 2014  and Sainsburys until 14th January 2014.
• If this is to much effort for you, just pop them in your kerbside paper collection.
• Don't forget to keep a handful to make your own gift tags for next year.

Christmas Tree

• If you buy a real Christmas Tree make sure you buy it from a sustainable source. For suppliers of UK-grown sustainable Christmas trees check out www.christmastree.org.uk. Try to buy it from a local producer.
• When Christmas is over recycle your real tree by cutting it up and putting it in with your green waste kerbside collection. Alternatively, if you are visiting the zoo see if they want it to use in the animal enclosures. Otherwise, you can recycle it at your local Household Recycling Centre.

Christmas Dinner and all that food and drink

• Buy local, seasonal, winter vegetables (these include sprouts, carrots, cabbage, leeks, onions, parsnips, swede, potatoes and nuts such as walnuts and chestnuts). Visit your local Farmers' Market or Farm shop and pick up some quality local produce to give yourself a treat at Christmas. Find your local market or producer at www.localfoodharvest.org
• For those foods where you can't buy local choose Fairtrade, organic fruit, nuts and chocolate (visit http//:www.fairtrade.org.uk for a list of Fairtrade product in your shops)
• Buy bottles of wine with real corks. Not a single tree is cut down in their production – just a small part of the bark is removed leaving the tree alive. In fact insisting on real cork helps maintain one of the most environmentally friendly industries possible. It provides essential employment for the people who work in the cork forests of the Mediterranean and helps to maintain vital habitats for the endangered wildlife of these forests such as the Iberian lynx, Spanish Imperial eagle and the Barbary deer

Buying Presents

• Don't buy useless presents that the recipients don't want. What about taking them out for a meal, the cinema or buying a season ticket for the local football team or local zoo for a present to remember. Better than another pair of socks.
• Try and buy environmentally friendly and useful gifts. What about a bike instead of some electronic game that is discarded on boxing day. Or something very useful but unusual for your elderly relatives like cavity wall insulation that makes a real difference to there quality of life.
• We are all a little time poor these days so why not give a little time instead of money. Use your imagination but what about offering a foot or head massage, makeovers, dinner or the washing up.

Unwanted Presents

• Give all your unwanted presents along with old clothes, toys etc that may have been replaced to local charity shops or Community Group or on giveortake, freegle or sell them on ebay.

Recycle all your Christmas waste

• At Christmas thousands of extra drink cans and bottles are produced. Don't just throw them away. Make sure you recycle all your glass bottles, cans, aluminium foil, paper and cardboard through your kerbside collection scheme or recycling banks. If you use the recycling banks please remember they are normally overflowing during the festive period so it would be helpful if you could spread your visit to the banks over a longer period.
• Recycle your corks and perforated bottle tops (the type used on beer bottles) at en-form.

Stamps

• Save your old Stamps - It won't be long before Christmas cards start arriving through the post. This year tear off the old stamp and give it to charity. Many charities, schools, churches and clubs save old stamps which they sell for money. You can hand them in at many of the towns charity shops.

Save Energy at Christmas

Christmas is a time of particularly high energy consumption. The whole house is heated as extra family members return for the holidays. Lights, televisions and stereos are left on and cooking appliances are used more heavily. Not to mention the energy needed to power all those electric gadgets bought as presents.

Being careful with your energy usage at this time of year can save your household considerable money.  Visit the Energy section to find out how to save energy at home.

• Many gadgets bought for Christmas require batteries, which cost money and need to be disposed of. Try to buy things that don't need batteries but can be run from the mains or are rechargeable. If you have to buy batteries make sure they are rechargeable ones, preferably Nimh – they last a lot longer and save you money into the bargain.
• You could also purchase gifts that use renewable energy, for example solar powered (or wind up) radio's and torches and mobile phone chargers.  

How to have a Green Christmas:

http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Green_Christmas.html

http://www.ecocentric.co.uk/acatalog/green-christmas.html

http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-have-a-green-christmas/

http://eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8426269.stm

Christmas Card Recycling

 

Christmas cards can generally be added to your usual recycling collection, but you can also recycle with Marks & Spencer and Sainsburys, whose schemes are helping to protect our woodlands (these schemes support the Woodland Trust - M&S and Forest Stewardship Council - Sainsburys). Don't forget to keep a handful to make your own gift tags for next year.

Newsletter January 2014

 

Happy New Year to all our supporters. So much is going on this month that we have produced a newsletter for you with the following topics:

News
Projects
Events
Volunteers

News

Create your own job – Over the past few months a number of our supporters have asked us if we have any jobs available. We don’t have any permanent jobs but we sometimes have casual work available. However we can help you to create your own job. We are a registered Charity and Not for Profit Company which means we can apply for funding. If you have an idea for a Community Project which has an impact on the Environment you may be able to apply for funding with our help and support and raise your own cash to employ yourself to deliver that project. Of course we would have to agree that your project meets a local need and can be delivered with the funding available. We would also have to ensure it complies with Charity law and our policies, particularly as they relate to Employment but none of these are too onerous. If you have a good idea for a Project and want to employ yourself to deliver it let us know and we will arrange a meeting to discuss it.

Projects

We are pleased to confirm we are now involved in 2 new projects:

Green Open Days – This project is now definitely going ahead and more details will follow. Basically it will operate in a similar way to Heritage Open Days or the Open Garden Scheme except it will consist of homes that have undertaken environmental improvements, particularly those that are energy related. We are currently trying to recruit hosts willing to open their homes for visitors to view their environmental improvements within a 20 mile radius of Colchester. If you would like to become a host or know someone who might be interested please let us know. We currently have 12 interested hosts but we need 20. The event will take place in May and we will be confirming the date shortly. www.greenhomes.net

The Big Switch – We will be operating this Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) project until the 10th March. DECC have identified that a number of myths are preventing the public (particularly vulnerable people) from switching to cheaper energy tariffs. We will be running 10 seminars, lasting around 30 minutes, to answer questions regarding switching your energy provider and then we will help you through the process of switching your tariff to a cheaper one. All the advice will be impartial and you will not be under any obligation to switch. We will also be running 2 seminars for Frontline Workers (housing officers, advice services, Welfare officers etc.) lasting around 15 minutes showing them how this service can benefit their clients without any further work for them (basically how to identify and refer clients that would benefit from the service).

If you would like to take advantage of this free service or know someone who may benefit, particularly those without access to the internet, the elderly etc please contact us and we will arrange a mutually convenient appointment.

If you are a Frontline Worker or know someone who is and you would like to attend a seminar or refer clients again just contact us.

If you want to change your energy tariff to a cheaper one and feel able to do so yourself you can do so through a comparison site such as Energyhelpline

Events – All events are listed on the Green Calendar and have further details

Monday 13th January – Lecture at the University of Essex - Nature in War: Towards more Comprehensive Protection of the Environment in Armed Conflict’ a lecture by Professor Karen Hulme from the School of Law.

The environment is the inevitable battlespace for war, thus nature the inevitable victim. But it is a victim like no other. Nature is our living space; it sustains us and ensures to us a healthy life. But it is also a victim that can regenerate and adapt. Why do we protect the environment in such times and what more can be achieved?

For more information on the lecture and for a list of further lectures in the series please visit  www.essex.ac.uk/events/pil

Lakeside Theatre, Colchester Campus, University of Essex. 6pm followed by a Drinks Reception from 7.15pm. Admission is free but booking advised. Please e-mail events@essex.ac.uk or telephone 01206 873270 for further information or to book a place.

Saturday 18th January - Wivenhoe Farmers’ Market please note change of time 9.30am to 12.30pm. Dr Bike will be offering a Free Bike Check.

Saturday 18th January – Talk at Firsite ‘East Anglia on the Edge’ by Asher Minns, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia.

For this talk, Asher Minns will take Denes' interest in environmental issues as a starting point for a discussion about the pressing issues of climate change and coastal erosion in East Anglia.

£5, £3 concession; free to members, booking essential. Full details and booking http://www.firstsite.uk.net/page/east-anglia-on-the-edge-talk

Monday 20th January Bike Drinks for anyone interested in Cycling issues. 8pm to 9.30pm details

Tuesday 21st January Transition Town Colchester Meeting

Volunteers

Does your Community Organisation or Community Project need any free help?.

Essex University Students Union VTeam are looking for volunteer opportunities for their Students. vTeam is a student volunteer group that wants to build long term relationships with local organisations and benefit the local community.

If you have any projects in mind where you might need extra help, we are here to help. We can’t fund any materials, but we will happily provide man power. We have done variety of tasks in the past, such as painting, digging, surveying, fundraising and helped moving offices.

Student volunteers are available during term time, can you think of anything you Community Group or Project may need help with between 13th January and 21st March, particularly in Student Volunteering Week at the end of February?

If you have any projects in mind let us know info@en-form.org.uk and we will forward your requests.

From the en-form Team