Climate and energy

There is still a debate about the contribution of human activity to global climate change. Whether reducing mankind's greenhouse gas emissions will slow down climate change or not, there is no doubt that public organisations, businesses and individuals, need to reduce energy use to reduce costs as well as emissions.

For information on some of the projects and activities being undertaken by organisations and groups in the Wycombe district and Buckinghamshire see the Bucks Climate Change web site using the link at the bottom of the page.

Wycombe district's Carbon Reduction Framework

In February 2011, we agreed a framework to reduce carbon emissions across the district which will contribute to the UK's targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This means that (based on 2005 levels of CO2), Wycombe needs to meet a target of 21 per cent reduction by 2020. By working with the community and partners including the hospital and the university, we intend to deliver the framework in three phases up to 2020.

We have already reduced our own emissions by 1,152 tonnes since 2005 through measures such as LED lighting in car parks and insulation and other projects are being planned now for delivery in the long term.

The Carbon Reduction Actions Framework Grid is available to download below.

Insulating your own home

Some types of building do not lend themselves to simple forms of loft or cavity wall insulation. If you want to arrange to insulate your home yourself the Energy Saving Trust has a very useful guide for consumers on different types of insulation for lofts, cavity walls, and solid walls. For further information see the Thinkinsulation website at the bottom of the page.

The Government is establishing a framework to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and to recoup payments through a charge in instalments on their energy bill. This will be launched in Autumn 2012. See the link at the bottom of the page for more details

Renewable energy

There are many different forms of renewable energy including:

• Solar thermal - for heating hot water
• Solar photovoltaics (PV) - for generating electricity
• Ground source heat pumps
• Air source heat pumps
• Small scale hydro
• Small wind turbines
• Large wind turbines

For further information on these forms of energy supply see the link to TV (Thames Valley) Energy below.

Information on planning permission requirements for solar thermal and solar PV can be found in the information sheet on solar thermal equipment which can be downloaded below. Information on permitted development rights for other forms of micro-generation can be obtained from the Parliamentary briefing paper - Permitted Development Rights 2010 link below.

Solar suitability checker

Cocoon's online solar suitability checker is designed to help homeowners who are interested in the potential of solar panels. For further information on solar panels and to find out if your house is suitable, please see Cocoon's website below.

Grants and funding for renewable energy

The Low Carbon Building programme which previously provided grant aid for renewable technology has finished. However, there are other forms of funding including the Feed-in-Tariff and the Renewable Heat Premium Payment which is the forerunner of the Renewable Heat Incentive for domestic customers. For further information see the link to the Energy Saving Trust below.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy has prepared a guidance document for anyone considering offers from companies installing solar PV free of charge in order to obtain the FIT. This can be downloaded below.

You might also be interested in our web page on energy efficiency grants.

For information on how to reduce your carbon footprint and save money on renewable energy sources for your home, please see the Energy Saving Trust website below.