If you would like to become involved in the Village Appearance & Sustainability group, or have a particular expertise you feel would benefit the group & village, please get in contact with familyhaylett@yahoo.com

Wittenham Vision Appearance & Sustainability Group – Latest News

Wondering what you can and can't dispose of and recycleat the tip? Here's a list to help you along!

Minutes from the last three meetings are now available. Click on the links to access them:

Cleaning up the Village! On Saturday 2 April 2011 a group of sturdy villagers, of all ages, did a terrific job tidying up the roadsides, verges, walking areas and riversides of the village. Our thanks to all of them, and the ladies providing refreshments and cakes during the morning.

We will be arranging an autumn litter pick in September. Please look out for the notices nearer the time and come along and help to continue to maintain the tidyness of the village and surrounding areas.

Thinking about installing solar panels?
As part of the Wittenham Vision Appearance and Sustainability Group we are investigating various alternatives for micro-generating electricity including harnessing solar energy using PV (photovoltaic) solar panels. This is Martin Brookes’ experience of PV solar panels:

I have periodically investigated the potential for retro-fitting various energy saving and generating measures to my house in Westfield Road, but I had not gone beyond good quality wall and roof installations and energy efficient lighting.  This was largely because the returns on the investment needed were so poor. The recent Government feed-in tariffs have dramatically changed the economics and I have just had PV panels installed on my roof.

The feed-in tariff is currently 41.3p per kw of electricity generated, irrespective of how it is used.  Generally, electricity supply companies assume that you use half and feed half back into the grid.  So, in addition to the 41.3p generation tariff which my company will pay me every three months,  half of energy I generate will save me buying electricity at about 12p per kw and the other half I will be paid 3p per kw for feeding it back into the grid.  The vast proportion of the investment therefore comes from the tariff which then secures an overall return of about 8-10%.  The tariff is tax free (as effectively is any saving in electricity costs), is index linked and guaranteed for 25 years.  The return is very good for the individual albeit not so for the Government in purely financial terms.  It is the generosity of the feed-in tariff that has resulted in some companies offering to install systems on people's houses for no charge.  They get the feed-in tariff and the residents benefit from lower electricity bills.  This may be a good option for those without the capital (typically c£10,000) to pay for a system. To qualify for the tariff, the installation must be accredited by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) (www.microgenerationcertification.org) which 'is an independent scheme that certifies microgeneration products and installers in accordance with consistent standards. It is designed to evaluate microgeneration products and installers against robust criteria providing greater protection for consumers.'   It does not however guarantee good value or professional sales practices, so care is necessary in the selection of a good company. My installation was carried out in a day with scaffolding erected the day before along the whole of the front (my south west facing elevation) of the house.  A generation meter was installed together with two 'converters' in my garage.  The converters which show the proportion of full capacity being generated at any time and a meter reading of that day's generation are fascinating to watch!  They do create some noise when the generation rate is high. If you have a generally unshaded roof slope facing between SE and SW and are interested in having a system installed, I would be happy to try to answer any further questions you may have (01865 407377).

Through ORCC Trading Ltd it may be possible to set up a bulk-buying scheme for solar panels in the village. Marlow has done it with savings of up to 20% so why not Long Wittenham? You can find out more about the scheme in Marlow at http://www.transitionmarlow.org/index.php?p=1_2_Solar

If you are interested in joining a bulk- buying syndicate then please get in touch with Janet Haylett on 01865 407382 familyhaylett@yahoo.com

Do you use oil for heating?

If so and you want to save money then you may be interested in a new enterprise set up by ORCCTrading Ltd, part of Oxfordshire Rural Community Council, to enable communities to buy oil in bulk. This can save up to £50 on a 1000 litre delivery.The annual subscription to join the syndicate is £20 and you can have as many oil orders as you need during the course of the year. The scheme works by having a local coordinator who contacts members once a month asking what their oil needs are. The coordinator passes this information on (usually electronically) to ORCC Trading who will be able to give an approximate delivery window and cost for the oil. This information is passed on to the people ordering and the oil supplier will contact them directly to tell them exactly when to expect their delivery.

The advantages are that you don’t have to order a large amount to get the discount, the environment benefits because the tanker only comes out once to a village rather than several times and you save money. However it does depend on someone volunteering to act as local coordinator – not an onerous task – but an important one. Local coordinators get free membership of the scheme and will also be helping towards cutting the village’s carbon footprint. There’s more information about membership and the role of the local coordinator on the ORCC website (http://www.oxonrcc.org.uk/news-and-events/news/orccs-new-trading-company) or for more information or to volunteer to be the local coordinator please contact Janet Haylett on 01865 407382 familyhaylett@yahoo.com

Avoiding cold related illnesses in Winter

Calculate your Carbon Footprint

Climate - It's the pace of change

Energy Saving Bulb Myths

Free insulation for over 70's

How smart is your driving?

Insulate & save!

Love Food Hate Waste

Make the most of your energy

Solar is an earner

Time to go Solar

Together we can tackle climate change