In this time of rising energy costs, people want to find ways of reducing their energy bills.  The Bath Homes Fit for the Future project is helping to do just that.  This project has showcased a dozen different types of houses where the owners have installed energy efficiency measures ranging from low cost to high tech.  Heritage and listed buildings, modern and new build have been involved. Home energy efficiency improvements can make a real difference to energy costs, and at the same time can reduce carbon emissions. 

In Bathwick there were two show homes – at Darlington Wharf, which is a new build terrace of eco-homes, and the straw bale house at the University of Bath campus on Claverton Down.  Bathwick Cllr David Martin, who is the Member Champion for Energy and Climate Change, said: “This initiative has been an excellent means of meeting the homeowners who have improved their homes to make them more energy efficient.  Visitors learnt about the practicalities and saw for themselves what can be done”.

In B&NES we have a district wide target to reduce our carbon emissions by 45% by 2026, and tackling emissions from houses is a top priority.  Later this year the Government’s Green Deal will start, aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of all types of buildings.  The Liberal Democrat administration in B&NES wants to take a leadership role in order to ensure that the Green deal is delivered fairly and effectively in the district.  Cllr Martin successfully proposed a budget allocation which will enable the Council to co-ordinate participation from partner organisations and to increase the capacity of the community to deliver the Green Deal. 

There are around 20,000 houses in the district that are classified as “hard-to-heat”.  Many of these are stone built structures dating from before 1900.  We need to ensure that the vulnerable and those in fuel poverty benefit first from the Green Deal, so that we can obtain the maximum health and well-being impact.