5:20pm Friday 27th January 2012
By Allan Tunningley
MEMBERS of a sustainable energy project are celebrating after winning almost £60,000 to help keep their South Lakeland community warm.
The Sustainability and Energy Network in Staveley (SENS) has been awarded the grant from the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF), announced by Energy Secretary Chris Huhne. The £59,225 awarded is the largest individual grant in the North West.
Also benefiting from the fund is the Killington and District Sustainable Energy Trust (K-SET), which gets £13,680 towards developing hydro power on the River Lune.
SENS has promoted a range of sustainable living projects, including hydro-electric power on the River Kent, and will use the grant to provide advice for households to reduce bills.
It will also look at options to minimise energy use in Staveley Village Hall and finance research on ‘chimney balloons’ to reduce heat loss through unused flues. SENS is now looking at 20 volunteer local homes as part of the chimney project.
Ruth Jennings, who led the SENS bid, said “This is an ideal opportunity to understand how we can make local homes more energy efficient.”
Meanwhile, K-SET will use the money to conduct ecological and noise studies on installing an Archimedes Screw on the weir at Broad Raine, on the River Lune, which would provide electricity for most of the 150 houses in Killington.
“It was a very welcome surprise when we heard about the grant,” said Maureen Lamb, secretary of K-SET.
“This is a Killington project very much supported by the people who live here. I think a lot of people didn’t think this would happen but with news like this people might start thinking ‘Maybe it will happen.’”
Mr Huhne said: “Local communities like these in the Staveley and Killington, with their energy, drive and innovation, are going to be at the heart of our effort to create the green energy of tomorrow, I hope that this funding acts as a booster rocket to the them.”
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