“Anyone can insulate!”
Now a few weeks into being your Team Green Britain Champion, Paul is fine-tuning his plans to ‘eco-refit’ his local community centre in Brighton.
A Facebook page told the project’s story, whilst Paul’s newly-found Twitter skills meant that the message got pushed out across the city. That his plans were well advanced was, Paul feels, one of the factors in his winning.
Environmental science and technology students from the University of Brighton have worked out what needs to be done to the ex-Victorian brick-built school: draught-proofing; insulating the main roof; and installing wall insulation and low-energy lighting. “Then,” says Paul, “we can assess the ‘real’ energy needs of the building before considering energy generation.”
Paul’s hope is that people living in the area will be inspired to try something similar in their own homes. To make sure the return on investment period is clearly defined, smart meters will be installed, which will help people following the project know what to expect if they make similar investments.
“Whilst we need to generate low-carbon energy,” he says, “to a much greater extent, we need to conserve the energy already being produced – anyone can insulate!”
