Understanding County Durham’s Energy Needs
Overview
For the past year, Rural Design Centre has been working in collaboration with Durham Community Action (DCA) to understand the energy needs and challenges faced by community spaces within County Durham. Following on from the development of the Northumberland Community Energy Ltd (NCEL), in partnership with Community Action Northumberland and the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE), we are currently establishing if there is an appetite among stakeholders to participate in a similar scheme: reducing energy costs, building resilience in response to climate change, reducing their carbon footprint and generating a revenue. Ultimately, limiting risk and maximising reward for community groups.
Some interesting insights
Unsurprisingly, stakeholders have reported that the biggest challenge has been the cost-of-living crisis with many community buildings looking at alternative solutions to weather the current market volatility. Whilst the decarbonisation of buildings is high on the agenda for many, more clarity is required to manage expectations of payback times and potential savings on renewables equipment to encourage more people to embark on the journey.
One unexpected discovery was the lack of impartial, coordinated advice available within the UK to help community spaces in the decision-making process and transition of their decarbonisation journey. Whilst there are some excellent sources of technical information available in this fast-changing narrative, many stakeholders tend to place their trust in the advice provided by their preferred supplier(s). Stakeholders reported that the installation journey was also confusing and difficult to navigate.
DCA would like to further investigate how they can develop a service package to provide a fully coordinated approach, acting as the trusted, supportive expert to ensure that stakeholders are fully informed of the facts on their decarbonisation journey.
Further Steps
Following our findings, we are currently exploring further options on how we can develop and shape a service for County Durham.
Partners and further information
For further information on our activities, you can find out about the NCEL scheme here: http://www.ca-north.org.uk/empowering-organisations/village-halls-community-buildings/solar-powered-community-buildings
Community Action Northumberland
Durham Community Action
National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise
Key Contacts
Hilary Anderson, Innovation Associate: Hilary.anderson@ruraldesigncentre.com