Case Study (51 Kb PDF)

Summary

Watford and Three Rivers Energy Agency has been based within Watford, Hertfordshire and was set up to provide a local energy agency specifically for the Watford and Three Rivers area. Funding has come from the European Commission Save II Project and The Single Regeneration Board (SRB). The Agency's primary purpose is to promote the benefits of saving energy through providing appropriate advice and incentives to clients in the private and public sector. By doing this they have:

• Reduced energy use;
• Reduced CO₂ emissions from homes and businesses;
• Saved fuel costs to residents;
• Reduced fuel poverty;
• Educated local groups and
• Raised awareness of alternative energy sources.

The success of the project is partly due to focusing on a manageable area and not spreading the agency's resources too thinly. Understanding individual Wards has enabled targeted advice with increased uptake of recommendations.

Results

From November 2000 to November 2003, the type and quantity of activities was as follows:

Events	Quantity	CO2 saved	Energy saved	Money saved
No of advice surgeries undertaken	92
No of presentations undertaken	34
No of presentation and advice events undertaken	9
No of workshops undertaken	20
No of exhibitions undertaken	15
No of school lessons undertaken	5
Total of all events	175
No of different locations attended	91
Number of Home Energy Check Questionnaires completed	6,455
Amount of money saved on recipients fuel bill through completing a Home Energy Check Questionnaire 1				£167,830
Amount of CO 2 saved (based on 479 kg per Home Energy Check Questionnaire completed)		3,091, 945
Amount of energy saved (based on 1,771 kWh per Home Energy Check Questionnaire completed)			11,431,805 kWh
No of energy efficient light bulbs (CFLs) handed out in the Watford & Three Rivers Energy Agency area	1,620
Amount of money saved on fuel at £100 per light bulb over ten years 2				£162,000
No of referrals to Powergen Warmfront	310
Total of average grant per Warmfront customer at £445 3				£137,950
Total saving of reduction in fuel bills (per annum) 3				£22,500
1. Based on £26 for each completed Home Energy Check questionnaire. Source: Energy Savings Trust Annual Report 2000-2001 2. Based on a conservative lifetime estimate and on the assumption of daily usage of 4.5 hrs. Manufacturer estimates twelve years lifetime per CFL. 3. Powergen Warmfront Annual Report 2003

The table above reflects the tangible results. Other more intangible have been the substantial amount of other households reached such as a mail shot to over 3,500 homes during 2002-03 and the thousands of energy efficient advice leaflets and brochures given out at events. Although not all of the recipients completed a Home Energy Check Questionnaire, they all had literature to take home and read.