In December 2011, the Government’s Department for Energy and Climate Change announced a £10M Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) to support communities to find options for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. TCW and the local community group Sustainable Backwell submitted a joint bid and received around £40,000 to model energy saving potential in the town, engage the community, and to further develop Backwell’s community wind turbine project.

With only two months to spend the money, TCW and Sustainable Backwell have been working hard during February and March to deliver the proposed work. Around 100 households have been surveyed using TCW’s online tool to assess the current levels of insulation in Backwell and to calculate how much energy could be saved in future by adding the maximum amount of energy efficiency measures. This sets the community up for the Government’s Green Deal scheme later this year which promises to make insulation financially viable for everybody.

Communities for Renewables, a not-for-profit wind consultancy, were drafted in to do extensive feasibility work on Backwell’s turbine project and the results from this will be available shortly.

The project culminated in a Big Energy day where the local community was able to learn about the results of the work. They were also provided information on how they can save money and carbon emissions by insulating their homes or installing renewables.