Energise Sussex Coast in partnership with Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co Operative (BHESCO) are delighted to have been awarded funding from the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) for a new zero carbon village project in Crowhurst, Rother.
This unique project offers a zero carbon action plan for the village of Crowhurst and will be a pilot scheme for the bigger aim of de-carbonising the remaining rural off-gas regions of the Rother District.
The Crowhurst community have already made exceptional progress in developing a strong sustainability agenda. Energise Sussex Coast will provide our local connections, energy poverty mitigation experience and community engagement skills. Alongside BHESCO’s knowledge and expertise in retrofit, heat technologies and community finance, this project offers a unique collaboration between these co operatives to achieve ambitious targets for Crowhurst residents.
The project will engage with residents with support from the Parish Council and Climate and Ecological Emergency Working Group, offering affordable alternatives for switching away from oil heating.
It will encourage the uptake of domestic solar linked with heat pump installations and explore opportunities for community owned and funded local renewable energy generation with the potential added benefits of providing grid flexibility services to defer expensive LV grid upgrades and giving access for fuel poor homes to lower cost local energy tariffs.
We will have plenty of updates in the coming months on this exciting project.
Notes to Editors
Please contact Richard Watson for further details about the Project
Richard@energisesussexcoast.co.uk
Energise Sussex Coast are a Community Energy Co-operative. Our mission is to act co-operatively to tackle the climate crisis and energy injustice through community owned renewable power and energy saving schemes.
Brighton and Hove Energy Services Co-operative is a not-for-profit social enterprise who partner with property owners and renters in Sussex, enabling them to take control over their energy supply and reduce the environmental impact of their buildings.
Zero Carbon Crowhurst project details
The current territorial carbon footprint of Crowhurst 35 tonnes of carbon per year. This is more than double the average household and is due to older, energy efficient homes and oil heating. The project will encourage the uptake of domestic solar linked with heat pump installations and explore opportunities for community owned and funded local renewable energy generation with the potential added benefits of providing grid flexibility services to defer expensive LV grid upgrades and giving access for fuel poor homes to lower cost local energy tariffs.
The dual outcome of reducing energy poverty and decarbonising the village is a key focus of the project, which will also assess the impact of EV uptake in the village.
The project will aim to complete full energy assessments and decarbonisation plans for at least 100 homes and businesses, and expects up to a third of these to be implemented by project completion.