Energy at home: everything residents need to know

The one-hour Facebook Q&A session aligns with the second week of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) currently taking place in Glasgow.

It forms part of the ongoing ‘Be the Change’ climate change campaign launched by the Council earlier this year, as Swindon moves towards meeting the UK-wide target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Councillor Keith Williams, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Finance and Commercialisation, will pose residents’ energy-related questions to Elliot Clark, an Energy Advisor from CSE.

The UK’s 30 million homes account for more than 21 per cent of the UK’s total carbon emissions, with around 75 per cent coming from household heating systems.

The Q&A session will provide residents with tips and advice on how to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint during the colder months. It follows this year’s sharp rise in gas prices which last month (October) saw the energy price cap increase for 15 million households.  

The event will also look to the future, following the Government’s ambition in its Net Zero Strategy to phase out the sale of new gas boilers from 2035 - ushering in a gradual transition to using low-carbon technologies to heat our homes, such as electric heat pumps or hydrogen boilers.

Residents can watch the discussion by tuning into the Council’s Facebook page at 5pm on Thursday, 11 November. Questions from the public are being invited in advance through the Council’s Facebook page.  

Cllr Williams, said: “This Q&A could not have come at a better time, with the backdrop of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) currently taking place in Glasgow and the recent energy price cap increase, this discussion should prove invaluable for our residents.

“We are really pleased to have CSE on board, a national charity whose mission is to empower people to change the way they think and act about energy. Who better to advise and support our residents to save on their energy bills and cut their carbon emissions?

“If you have any home energy questions you’d like to know the answer to, I’d really encourage you to send them through to the Council’s Facebook page so that we can make sure we are giving you the information you need to combat the cold weather over the winter.”

Elliot Clark, Energy Advisor at CSE, said: “Energy saving advice is needed now, more than ever, when many people are turning their heating on as we approach winter and millions across the UK are experiencing higher bills as energy prices continue to rise.

“Making changes that cost very little are some of the best ways to protect yourself from increasing energy prices and it’s also good for the planet. I look forward to sharing lots of energy saving tips that can make a surprising amount of difference!”

Residents can find out what else they can do to reduce their carbon footprint by visiting the Be the Change webpages: www.swindon.gov.uk/bethechange