Green build NEWS

Households and communities wanting to control their energy generation will be catered for tomorrow when The Home Energy Handbook is published. From the Centre for Alternative Energy, the guide aims to increase community participation in energy projects and re-direct the profits of energy production back to the households and areas that generate and use it.

The handbook is the first practical guide which covers all main areas of home and community energy. It maps out this century’s energy challenges and helps individuals to calculate and cut their carbon emissions and implement practical projects.

The book lists ten case studies which demonstrate how community focused energy projects enhance living standards, cut carbon emissions and create community cohesion and resilience. Some also show how money earned from electricity generation can be used to support community services, cut fuel poverty and create employment opportunities.

A self-build housing scheme in Bristol; a renewable energy scheme in the Scottish islands and a community woodland project in rural Lincolnshire are detailed. Technologies including solar PV and solar thermal, insulation, energy efficiency, biomass wood fuel, heat pumps, ventilation, passive solar, combined heat and power (CHP) and wind and hydro power are also included in The Home Energy Handbook.